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John McCain

2008-04-11T22:04:22Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Casmier.jpg|right|thumb|275px|'''Senator John McCain, R-Arizona''']]
'''John Sidney McCain III''' (born Panama Canal Zone, August 29, 1936) <ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref> is the senior [[United States Senate|Senator]] from the state of [[Arizona]], having served 20 years after replacing [[Barry Goldwater]] in 1986. He is currently the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.<ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref> McCain, a [[Baptist]],<ref> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296973,00.html McCain Identifies Himself as a [[Baptist]]</ref> has clinched the [[Republican]] nomination for [[President of the United States of America|President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 Election]]. <ref>[http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/NATIONWORLD/803050441/0/LOCAL1901 ''McCain clinches GOP nomination; Huckabee bows out''] 5 March 2008 IndyStar.com</ref><ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255535,00.html John McCain Announces Plans for '08 Presidential Candidacy on 'Late Night With David Letterman'], Associated Press, 1 March 2007</ref> He is not a professor.

==Early Life==
McCain's family has a long history in the U.S. military, with ancestors fighting as army soldiers in the Indian Wars, [[American Revolutionary War]], [[War of 1812]], for the Confederate States of America in the [[American Civil War]], and in [[World War I]]. Both his father and grandfather were high-ranking United States Navy admirals. In addition, McCain's two son's are currently serving in the U.S. Navy. In 1951, the McCain family moved to Northern [[Virginia]] and he attended Episcopal High School, a private preparatory boarding school in Alexandria. McCain was on the wrestling team and went on to graduate in 1954. He later joined the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1958, were he graduated 894 out of 899.
==Military career==
[[Image:McCain 1965.jpg|left|thumb|200px|McCain photographed in 1965]]
McCain served in the [[United States Navy]] from 1958 to 1981. He spent two and a half years as a naval aviator in training at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas. By 1967, McCain was a veteran pilot aboard the [[USS Forrestal]] aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam. On 29 July 1967, while preparing to take off on a bombing run over North Vietnam a missile accidentally fired from another plane, hitting the fuel tanks on McCain's aircraft and triggering explosions and fire. McCain escaped from his plane by crawling onto the nose of the aircraft and diving on to the ship's deck which was ablaze from burning fuel. His attempt to rescue a fellow pilot whose flight suit was on fire was prevented when McCain was blown over by further explosions. When the fire was contained 24 hours later, 134 men had been killed and hundreds more injured. It was called the worst non-combat-related accident in U.S. naval history.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=526451&in_page_id=1811 ''The coronation of the ultimate survivor, John McCain''] 5 March 2008 [[Daily Mail]]</ref>

On October 26, 1967, McCain was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam, when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi. He fractured both arms and a leg during the accident, bringing him to unconsciousness. A group of Vietnamese guerrillas quickly surrounded him. After spiting and kicking him, they took him Hoa Loa Prison to became a prisoner of war (POW). They interrogated him to give them information in return for mechanical care. However, McCain gave them little information such as his name and date of birth. Although he did not receive medical treatment for a long period of time, the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was a top admiral and they brought in a doctor for medical care. McCain spent six weeks in the Hoa Loa hospital. After that McCain had lost 50 pounds and his hair turned white. He was then sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in December of 1967. In July 1968, McCain's father was named Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC), John McCain was offered a chance to return home. However, he turned it down, afraid of being used of propaganda purposes, and wanted to honor the POW "code of conduct, "first in, first out": he would only accept the offer if every man taken in before him was released as well.

The North Vietnamese began to intensely torture McCain, such as frequent beatings and using rope bindings into painful positions, resulting in McCain's teeth and bones to be broken. He was forced to sign and tape an Anti-American "confession" that said, in part, "I am a black criminal and I have performed the deeds of an air pirate. I almost died, and the Vietnamese people saved my life, thanks to the doctors." McCain would go on to write, "I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine." Two weeks later the Vietnamese tried to force him to sign a second anti-American statement, but this time he refused too. He received two to three beatings per week because of his continued refusal. Altogether, McCain was held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years. He was finally released from captivity on March 15, 1973.

===Decorations===
*Silver Star
*Legion of Merit
*Bronze Star
*[[Purple Heart]]
*Distinguished Flying Cross
*Prisoner of War Medal
*National Defense Service Medal
*Vietnam Service Medal
*Vietnam Campaign Medal

==Political career==
===Congressional===
McCain had been working in [[Phoenix]] for his father-in-laws company Hensley & Co, which is an Anheuser-Busch beer wholesaler and distributor. After gaining support from local business leaders, he ran for a congressional seat for Arizona's 1st congressional district as a Republican in 1982. His [[liberal]] opponents labeled him as a "carpetbagger." McCain responded to a voter making this charge, saying,

"Listen, pal. I spent 22 years in the Navy. My father was in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy. We in the military service tend to move a lot. We have to live in all parts of the country, all parts of the world. I wish I could have had the luxury, like you, of growing up and living and spending my entire life in a nice place like the First District of Arizona, but I was doing other things. As a matter of fact, when I think about it now, the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi."

With the endorsements of local newspapers, McCain easily won the election. In 1983, he became President of the Republican freshman class of representatives. His voting record generally fell in line with the policy's of President [[Ronald Reagan]]s. During his four years in congress, McCain and his wife Cindy had three children.

===Senatorial===
[[Image:Reagan mccain.jpg|left|thumb|300px|3/3/1987 President Reagan and Nancy Reagan greet John McCain in the Blue Room during a dinner for newly elected members of the 100th Congress]]
When Republican and [[conservative]] icon [[Barry Goldwater]] retired from the United States Senate in Arizona in 1986, Congressman McCain announced his candidacy for the seat. He easily won the election, defeating his Democratic opponent Richard Kimball, by 20 percentage points. When entering the Senate, he became a member of the powerful Armed Services Committee, and he also joined the Commerce Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee. During the 1988 Presidential Election, McCain was named chairman of Veterans for Bush. In 1991, Senator McCain became part of the "Keating Five" scandal, were McCain and four other Senators (all Democrats) were accused of improperly aiding Charles H. Keating, Jr., chairman of the failed Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, which was the target of an investigation by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received approximately $112,000 in political contributions from Charles Keating Jr. After a lengthy investigation, the Senate Ethics Committee determined that McCain was only minimally involved, and McCain (and the four other Senators) were not charged with any crimes.

==="Maverick" Image in the Senate===
John McCain has gained a reputation as a "maverick" for his sponsorship of many bills and leadership on almost every issue. Starting in 1994, he worked with Democrat [[Wisconsin]] Senator [[Russ Feingold]] on campaign finance reform. The McCain-Feingold bill banned "soft money." It passed and was signed into law on November 6th, 2002, by President Bush. In the 1990's, McCain gained attention for his strong opposition to pork barrel spending. He championed the 1996 Line Item Veto Act, which gave the President the power to veto individual spending items. However, in 1998, the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] ruled the act unconstitutional.

After George W. Bush was elected President in 2000, McCain began to disagree with the President on many issues, such as tax cuts, climate change, and gun legislation. After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], McCain wrote legislation that created the 9/11 Commission, while he and Democrat Senator Fritz Hollings co-sponsored the Aviation and Transportation Security Act that federalized airport security. In May 2005, McCain led the so-called "[[Gang of 14]]" in the Senate, which established a compromise that preserved the ability of senators to filibuster judicial nominees, but only in "extraordinary circumstances". McCain also co-sponsored comprehensive immigration reform (see below under political record for details).

===2000 Presidential Campaign===
McCain launched his first campaign for President in 2000, when he challenged then-[[Texas]] Governor [[George W. Bush]] for the Republican nomination. McCain's campaign was surprisingly strong, by ignoring the [[Iowa Caucus]], he was able to win the [[New Hampshire]] primary by nineteen percentage points. And then won the [[Michigan Primary]]. However he went on to lose [[South Carolina]], and 9 out of the 13 [[Super Tuesday]] states. McCain withdrew from the race on March 9, 2000.

==The following are Senator McCain's political views based on his stated positions and voting record:==
'''Domestic Issues'''
===Balanced Budget===
McCain has emphasized reducing government spending over tax cuts. He is one of the Senate's most outspoken critics of pork barrel spending and has pledged to veto any bill with pork as President.

===[[Education]]===
McCain supports school vouchers and charter schools. His voting record shows support for reducing the federal government's role in education. He voted for school vouchers for Washington, D.C., education savings accounts, and against $5billion for grants to local educational agencies. McCain sponsored the Education A-Plus bill in 1997 and again in 1999, which said that parents can open tax-free saving accounts for their children's school supplies. McCain also co-sponsored the Child Nutrition Act, which would provide federal funding for at-risk children. He has publicly stated he supports [[intelligent design]] teaching in schools.

===Health Care===
McCain's record and stated positions on health care is conservative. He is against socialized health care, or health coverage mandates. McCain supports tax credits for personal health savings accounts and enhancing competition in the health care industry to improve quality and lower costs. He also supports allowing citizens to purchase out of state health insurance. In an October 2007 statement, McCain said: "In health care, we believe in enhancing the freedom of individuals to receive necessary and desired care. We do not believe in coercion and the use of state power to mandate care, coverage or costs."

===Energy===
[[Image:RobinsonWhatWarmsTheEarth.gif|right|frame]]
McCain supports increasing ethanol imports and more production of hybrid vehicles. He is co-sponsor of a Senate cap-and-trade bill designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions. McCain also supports increasing nuclear power. He has consistently voted against drilling for [[oil]] in the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]] (ANWR), because of environmental concerns.

===[[Environment]]===
McCain's position on [[global warming]] and other environmental issues have put him at odds with [[conservative]]s. On January 2007, McCain said, "we continue to learn more about the science of climate change and the dangerous precedence of not addressing this environmental problem. The science tells us that urgent and significant action is needed." On October 30, 2003, he co-sponsored the Climate Stewardship Act (S.139), which would require the Administrator of the EPA to promulgate regulations to limit the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the electricity generation, transportation, industrial, and commercial economic sectors. The bill was defeated in October 2004 by a margin of 43-55. McCain is a member - and was endorsed - by the Republicans for Environmental Protection organization. He has taken some conservative stances on the environment, such as voting to confirm [[Gale Norton]] as Secretary of Interior, a vote in favor of preserving the budget for ANWR oil drilling (although he has voted against drilling there), and a vote in favor of reducing funding of renewable and solar energy.

===[[Immigration]]===
Senator McCain's position on illegal immigration has arguably given him the most criticisms from conservatives. On May 12, 2005, McCain joined Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] (D-[[Massachusetts]]) as co-sponsor of the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. The bill would legalize and eventually grant citizenship to the estimated 12–20 million [[illegal alien]]s in the United States and have them eminently start collecting social security and other government benefits. The bill never came for a vote on the Senate floor. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 are two additional compromises based on the original McCain-Kennedy bill. McCain has consistently voted for visa's for skilled workers. McCain voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and has said border security should be a bigger priority the the illegal aliens who are currently here.

===Outsourcing===
McCain has supported reducing barriers to trade and globalization. He supports the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

===[[Social Security]]===
McCain is a strong supporter of private Social Security accounts.

===Tax Reform===
In 2001, McCain gained attention as one of only two Republicans who voted against President Bush's tax cuts. He opposed accelerating the cuts in 2003, saying, "I voted against the tax cuts because of the disproportional amount that went to the wealthiest Americans. I would clearly support not extending those tax cuts in order to help address the deficit (although the budget deficit has gone down since the tax cuts)." He has now changed his stance, by voting to make the tax cuts permanent, and says he would do the same as President. In 2002, Senator McCain was one of only two Republicans to twice vote against the permanent repeal of the Death Tax. He has also refused to sign a pledge put forth by Americans for Tax Freedom not to impose any new taxes or increase existing taxes. However, many of McCain's votes has shown support for lower taxes, such as eliminating the marriage penalty, a 1997 vote to cut capital gains taxes and he introduced measures that would require a sixty-vote majority to pass a tax increase.

'''Foreign Policy'''

===Homeland Security===
[[Image:Qwwqqe.jpg|thumb|right|An Iraqi Army unit prepares to board a Task Force Baghdad UH-60 Blackhawk [[helicopter]] for a counterinsurgency mission in Baghdad.]]
McCain has voted in support of the U.S. [[PATRIOT Act]] as well as National Missile Defense. However, he has joined [[liberal]]'s in support of immediately closing [[Guantanamo Bay]], and moving all the prisoners to Fort Leavenworth. On October 3, 2005, he introduced the McCain Detainee Amendment which prohibits inhumane treatment of prisoners, including prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. The bill was passed and signed by President [[George W. Bush]]. McCain has recently criticized the practice of water boarding, saying "they [other presidential candidates] should know what it is. It is not a complicated procedure. It is torture." However, McCain still voted against HR 2082, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which included provisions that would have prevented the CIA from water boarding prisoners.

===[[Iran]]===
McCain has said that "We continue to be concerned about Iranian influence and assistance to Hezbollah as well as Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons." He tried to ban Iran from playing in the 2006 World Cup, citing Iranian President [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]]'s [[Holocaust]] denials.

===[[Iraq]]===
McCain voted with the majority of the Senate in favor of the 2002 "Iraq War Resolution" authorizing President George W. Bush to go to war against Iraq and overthrow the [[Saddam Hussein]] regime. McCain went on to became a critic of the management of the war, arguing that there wasn't enough troop strength in the area. McCain publicly stated that he had "no confidence" in then-Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]]. However, he refused to call for his resignation, saying that "the president picks his team, and the president has the right to stay with that team if he wants to." McCain became one of the strongest leading advocates in the Senate for the 2007 troop surge, which increased the number of American troops by 20,500, deployed to the Iraq War to provide security to [[Baghdad]] and [[Al Anbar Province]]. On February 4, he criticized a non-binding resolution opposing the troop buildup, calling it a "vote of no confidence" in the US military.

==Social Issues==
===[[Abortion]]===
[[Image:Baby.jpg|right|thumb|100px|A human fetus in the womb]]
McCain's record in the Senate on abortion is generally pro-life. He voted for the 2003 [[Partial Birth Abortion]] Ban Act. McCain is also against government funding of birth control and sex education. However, during his first Presidential campaign for the 2000 election, McCain said the following on [[Roe v. Wade]], "I'd love to see a point where it is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary. But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations." He has since changed his position, saying Roe v. Wade should be overturned. McCain is a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership and supports embryonic stem cell research.

===[[Gun Control]]===
[[Image:Gun.jpg|left|100px]]
McCain's record on gun control is mixed. He co-sponsored the Gun Show Loophole Closing and Gun Law Enforcement Act of 2001, that would reduce gun shows, force gun-owners to purchase trigger locks making their firearms useless for self-defense, and would encourage federal agents to arrest and convict gun-owners who may inadvertently violate one of the many federal gun laws. However, McCain has frequently voted in support of the Second Amendment, such as voting against background checks at gun shows and voting in support of prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. In August of 1999, McCain said he was open to voting for an assault weapon ban, depending on the details. However, he still voted against the Federal Assault Weapons Ban and the efforts to renew it, as well as the Brady Bill.

===[[Same-sex marriage]]===
McCain voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, arguing that the issue of same-sex marriage should be left to the states. However, in 1996, he did vote for a bill that would prohibit same-sex marriage.

==2008 Presidential Campaign==
''Main Article: [[John McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign]]''
[[Image:Republican candidates.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Senator McCain (right, second to the end) with his once Republican rival's for the nomination.]]
McCain began the race as the presumptive front runner and the most formidable of either party, based on his longevity in the Senate and his previous race in 2000. McCain informally stated he would be a candidate for the 2008 Presidential Election on the Late Show with David Letterman on February 28, 2007, and officially announced his candidacy in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, two months later. By a few weeks prior to making his announcement on Letterman, he was beginning to trail behind former Mayor of [[New York City]] [[Rudy Giuliani]] in the polls. McCain supported the 2007 proposal by President George W. Bush for a "surge", an increase in the number of U.S. troops deployed in the Iraq War. He started a series of campaign events entitled the "No Surrender Tour." His campaign became far more prominent with his wins in the New Hampshire primary and on Super Tuesday, and since [[Mitt Romney]] endorsed him was considered a virtual certainty to win the nomination. He finally reached the 1,191 delegates to win the nomination on the Super Tuesday II contests on March 4th. Current polling shows Senator McCain ahead of both Senator [[Hillary Clinton]] and [[Barack Obama]] in head-to-head match ups.

== Fundraising in 2007 ==
McCain struggled to raise money for his 2008 presidential campaign, a sign of weakness for a front-runner. "Former [[Massachusetts]] Governor [[Mitt Romney]] raised $23 million for his presidential campaign in the first three months of [2007], almost doubling the total of top Republican contender John McCain. McCain, an [[Arizona]] senator, brought in about $12.5 million in the first quarter, his campaign said. 'We had hoped to do better,' said Terry Nelson, his campaign manager. Former [[New York]] Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] said he raised $15 million, including more than $10 million in March alone."<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aZ7SuEo0wuMM&refer=home</ref>

However, for all his money and spending, [[Rudy Giuliani]] won only one delegate.

== Electability ==

He has been called "the Democrats' worst nightmare".<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w7OKBAT0Fk&feature=related ''Democrats Worst Nightmare''] Accessed 5 March 2008</ref>

Of the major contenders, only McCain has a background that includes military service. [[Colonel]] [[George "Bud" Day|Bud Day]], the United States' most highly decorated officer, and the most decorated since [[General]] [[Douglas MacArthur]], said: ''"Having stood side-by-side with John McCain on the battlefield, I know that he has the character and will to lead this great country. John McCain is the Commander-In-Chief our military needs during this generational struggle against global terrorism."''

McCain has the reputation as an independent-minded maverick<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/14/AR2007031402301.html McCain Fighting to Recapture Maverick Spirit of 2000 Bid], [[Michael Shear|Michael D. Shear]], ''[[Washington Post]]'', March 15, 2007</ref> and favorite of the media.<ref>[http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070305/blumenthal McCain Mutiny], [[Max Blumenthal]], ''[[The Nation]]'', February 21, 2007</ref> David Limbaugh said, "McCain is not only not conservative enough; he has also built a reputation as a maverick by stabbing his party in the back -- not in furtherance of conservative principles but by betraying them. McCain delights in sticking it to his colleagues while winning accolades from the [[Mainstream media|mainstream liberal media]]." <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24669 'Maverick' and 'Conservative' Aren't Synonyms], [[David Limbaugh]], ''[[Human Events]]'', 01/25/2008</ref>

John McCain was a member of the [[Keating Five]], a scandal relating to the [[Savings and Loan Crisis]]. The Senate Ethics Committee criticized him for "questionable conduct."

John McCain has cancer (melanoma) and has undergone multiple operations for it.<ref>http://www.riskworld.com/PressRel/2001/01q3/PR01a027.htm</ref> Cancer was an issue that hurt the presidential candidacy of Paul Tsongas in 1992. However, it was not even mentioned in the 2004 presidential campaign, despite the fact that John Kerry was treated for prostate cancer in early 2003.

McCain is also known to not like reading from teleprompters, and prefers to speak off-the-cuff from his heart, or from jottings on cocktail napkins or from things he has read on sugar packets.

John McCain is 71 years old, making him one of the oldest candidates to seek the presidency. Several issues relating to McCain's advanced aged and health have been discussed in the media.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/18/mccain.ap/index.html?eref=rss_politics</ref>

Three months later McCain was shot down over Hanoi and held as a [[Prisoner of War]] for five-and-a-half years.<ref>[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/john_mccain/index.html John McCain] at the New York Times</ref>
{{cquote|On October 26, 1967, during his 23rd air mission, McCain's plane was shot down over the North Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. His captors soon learned he was the son of a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy and repeatedly offered him early release, but McCain refused, ... knowing that the North Vietnamese would use his release as a powerful piece of propaganda.

He eventually spent five and a half years in various prison camps, three and a half of those in solitary confinement, and was repeatedly [[US POWs in Vietnam|beaten and tortured]] before he was finally released, along with other American POWs, in March 1973, two months after the Vietnam cease fire went into effect.

Though McCain had lost most of his physical strength and flexibility, he was determined to continue serving as a naval aviator. After a painful nine months of rehabilitation, he returned to flying duty, but it soon became clear that his injuries had permanently impaired his ability to advance in the Navy.<ref>[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9542249 John McCain Biography (1936-)]</ref>}}

McCain graduated from the National War College in 1974. Upon his retirement from the Navy in 1981, as a Captain, he had been commended with the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Flying Cross.<ref> [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref>
== Votes missed ==
As of August 2007, McCain had missed more votes during the current session of Congress than any Senator other than [[South Dakota]] [[Democrat]] [[Tim Johnson]], who had suffered a brain hemorrhage that had kept him from Congress. He had missed over 48% of his votes. <ref>Lawrence Journal-World, August 10, 2007</ref> This is due to the fact that he is running for President, and he has to attend political rallies across the country.

==Personal life==
[[Image:Cindy McCain.jpg|thumb|Cindy McCain]]
McCain has been married twice. His first marriage, to Carol Shepp, ended in [[divorce]] in 1980. His second and current wife is Cindy Lou Hensley.

His son John Sidney IV is a Midshipman at the [[United States Naval Academy]], Annapolis, and his son James is a non-commissioned officer in the [[United States Marine Corps]], who is serving in [[Iraq]] as part of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]].

===McCain's family===
*Wife Cindy
*4 sons
**Douglas
**Andrew
**John (''"Jack"'') Sidney IV
**James
*3 daughters
**Sidney
**Meghan
**Bridget
*Parents
**[[Admiral]] John Sydney McCain, Jr. (from [[Indiana]])
**[[Roberta McCain|Roberta Wright McCain]] (from [[Oklahoma]]).

== Books ==
* ''Faith of My Fathers'' (Random House; 1999) ISBN 0-3755-0191-6
* ''Odysseus in America'' (Scribner; 2002) ISBN 0-7432-1156-1
* ''Worth Fighting For: A Memoir'' (Diane Publ. Co; 2002) ISBN 0-7567-6759-8
* ''Medal of Honor'' (Artisan; 2003) ISBN 1-5796-5240-9
* ''Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life'' (Random House; 2004) ISBN 1-4000-6030-3
* ''Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember'' (Random House; 2005) ISBN 1-4000-6412-0
* ''Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them'' (Twelve; 2007) ISBN 0-4466-9911-X

==Further reading==
*McCain, John [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=513224&in_page_id=1811 ''My six years of hell: John McCain recalls life as a prisoner of war in Vietnam''] 8 February 2008 [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 9 February 2008

==See Also==
* [[John McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign]]
* [[Previous Breaking News/John McCain|Articles about '''John McCain''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQsckD9trn4&eurl=http://evangelicalsformccain.org/meetthesenator.htm ''John McCain: Courageous Service''] - Streaming video documentary hosted at YouTube, including footage of McCain's time as a POW and the Forrestal incident.
*[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9542249 John McCain Biography]
*[http://evangelicalsformccain.org/index.htm Evangelicals for McCain] - Christians, Families and Patriots for John McCain
*[http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/01/mccains-mom-pop.html McCain's Mom Pops Off]
*[http://www.rd.com/national-interest/people-and-politics/our-interview-with-sen-john-mccain/article.html Presidential Candidate John McCain on the Issues]

==References==
{{reflist|small}}

{{2008 presidential candidates}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCain, John}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Arnold Schwarzenegger

2008-04-11T22:02:56Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:About arnold img-2.jpg|right]]
'''Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger''' (b. [[Austria]] 1947) is a [[United States of America|American]] actor, politician, [[bodybuilding|bodybuilder]], and businessman, serving as the 38th Governor of [[California]] since 2003. He is not a professor.

==Recall Election==
After sitting Governor [[Gray Davis]] instituted a new registration tax by executive order, infuriated citizens initiated a petition to place a measure on the ballot to remove him from office. Despite [[Democratic]] predictions that the petition would fail, it was delivered to then Secretary of State [[Kevin Shelley]] with more than the required number of signatures. In accordance with the law, Lieutenant Governor [[Cruz Bustamante]] became Acting Governor. Bustamante called a special election for October 7, 2003.

The election was the first in United States history. Approximately 180 citizens, from all walks of life, declared candidacy. Schwarzenegger was rumored to be considering a run for office, which was confirmed on an appearance on the NBC TV [[Tonight Show]]. Schwarzenegger easily defeated Cruz Bustamante in the election.

After the election was over, Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Davis' term. After going through a period of sagging in the polls, Schwarzenegger did a strong turn around and was then reelected by a landslide on November 7, 2006, in California's 2006 gubernatorial election to serve a full term as governor by defeating Democrat [[Phil Angelides]], who was at that time the California State Treasurer.

Despite Schwarzenegger's claims of being a [[Capitalism|capitalist]], he is a supporter of some [[Socialism|socialist]] policies. He is a supporter of [[gun control]] and [[environmentalism]]. He is a staunch supporter of a law that mandates the use of Californian taxpayer money to fund the cloning and killing of human embryos for experimentation, and is considered to be [[pro-choice]]. Because these and other policies he is often referred to as a "[[RINO]]," a "Republican in Name Only" by many [[conservative]] [[Republicans]].

If he likes you, he kills you last.

==External Links==
:[http://gov.ca.gov/ Governor of California Official Site]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwarzenegger, Arnold}}

[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: United States Governors]]

Arnold Schwarzenegger

2008-04-11T22:02:34Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:About arnold img-2.jpg|right]]
'''Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger''' (b. [[Austria]] 1947) is a [[United States of America|American]] actor, politician, [[bodybuilding|bodybuilder]], and businessman, serving as the 38th Governor of [[California]] since 2003. He is not a professor.

==Recall Election==
After sitting Governor [[Gray Davis]] instituted a new registration tax by executive order, infuriated citizens initiated a petition to place a measure on the ballot to remove him from office. Despite [[Democratic]] predictions that the petition would fail, it was delivered to then Secretary of State [[Kevin Shelley]] with more than the required number of signatures. In accordance with the law, Lieutenant Governor [[Cruz Bustamante]] became Acting Governor. Bustamante called a special election for October 7, 2003.

The election was the first in United States history. Approximately 180 citizens, from all walks of life, declared candidacy. Schwarzenegger was rumored to be considering a run for office, which was confirmed on an appearance on the NBC TV [[Tonight Show]]. Schwarzenegger easily defeated Cruz Bustamante in the election.

After the election was over, Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Davis' term. After going through a period of sagging in the polls, Schwarzenegger did a strong turn around and was then reelected by a landslide on November 7, 2006, in California's 2006 gubernatorial election to serve a full term as governor by defeating Democrat [[Phil Angelides]], who was at that time the California State Treasurer.

Despite Schwarzenegger's claims of being a [[Capitalism|capitalist]], he is a supporter of some [[Socialism|socialist]] policies. He is a supporter of [[gun control]] and [[environmentalism]]. He is a staunch supporter of a law that mandates the use of Californian taxpayer money to fund the cloning and killing of human embryos for experimentation, and is considered to be [[pro-choice]]. Because these and other policies he is often referred to as a "[[RINO]]," a "Republican in Name Only" by many [[conservative]] [[Republicans]].

==External Links==
:[http://gov.ca.gov/ Governor of California Official Site]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwarzenegger, Arnold}}

[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: United States Governors]]

Olympia J. Snowe

2008-04-11T22:02:15Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Snowe.jpg|150px|right]]'''Olympia J. Snowe''' (b. 1947) is a [[Republican]] United States Senator from [[Maine]]. She is a [[liberal]] on many current issues and calls herself a moderate. She supports [[abortion]], [[gay]] rights and amnesty for Illegal Aliens. In fiscal matters and on defense, Snowe is generally [[conservative]]. She is a supporter of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]] and voted for the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) of 2002, although she disagreed with the size of the tax cuts. Snowe began her career in national politics in 1978 when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Since then she has never lost an election. In 2006, she was named one of "America's Top Ten Senators" by Time Magazine. She has high approval ratings in here home state of Maine and is the wife of former Governor John R. McKernan, Jr. SHe is not a professor.

==Early life==
Snowe was born Olympia Jean Bouchles in Augusta, Maine, the daughter of Georgia Goranites and George John Bouchles. She is a member of the [[Greek Orthodox Church]]. Olympia Snowe's mother died of [[breast cancer]] when she was eight, and her father died of heart disease barely a year later. Orphaned, she was moved to Auburn, Maine, to be raised by her aunt and uncle, a barber and a textile mill worker respectively, along with their five other children. Following her mother's death, Snowe was sent to St. Basil's Academy in Garrison, New York, where she remained from the third grade to the ninth. Returning to Auburn, she attended Edward Little High School, before entering the University of Maine in Orono, Maine in 1969, where she earned a degree in political science. In 1973, Snowe's husband was tragically killed in an automobile accident.

==Political career==
Snowe has been very successful in politics. She won a seat on the Board of Voter Registration and working for Congressman (later U.S. [[Senator]] and U.S. [[Secretary of Defense]]) [[William Cohen]]. She later ran for the Maine House of Representatives at the age of 26 and won. She was re-elected to the House in 1974, and, in 1976, won election to the Maine Senate, representing Androscoggin County. That same year, she was a delegate to both the state and national Republican conventions. Snowe was elected to the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] in 1978, and represented Maine's 2nd Congressional District from 1979 to 1995. She served as a member of the Budget and International Relations Committees. Snowe married John McKernan, then-[[Governor]] of Maine, in February 1989. Snowe and McKernan had served together in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1986. Snowe was [[First Lady]] of Maine from 1989 to 1995, while also a U.S. Representative.

==United States Senate==
In 1994, when [[Senate]] [[Majority Leader]] [[George J. Mitchell]] declined to run for reelection, Snowe declared her candidacy for the seat. The Democratic nominee was her House colleague, 1st District Congressman Tom Andrews. Snowe defeated Andrews 60%-36%, carrying every county in the state. Making her part of the "Republican Revolution," where the Republican party captured the House and Senate for the first time since 1954. Snowe was easily reelected in 2000 over State Senate President Mark Lawrence, increasing her winning margin to 69%-31%. And in 2006, Senator Snowe won a third term with 74% of the vote, second-largest margin of any U.S. Senate candidate in the country. In April 2006, Snowe was selected by Time as one of "America's 10 Best Senators." Time praised Snowe for her sensitivity to her constituents, also noting that: "Because of her centrist views and eagerness to get beyond partisan point scoring, Maine Republican Olympia Snowe is in the center of every policy debate in [[Washington]]." She is the fourth woman to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the first to chair its seapower subcommittee, which oversees the [[Navy]] and [[Marine]] Corps. In 2001, Snowe became the first Republican woman to secure a full-term seat on the Senate Finance Committee. n the 110th Congress, Sen. Snowe is the ranking member of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee.

==Political views==
Snowe is a self-described political moderate. She worked with Democrats to reduce the scale of the Bush tax cuts but supported the broad principle of cutting taxes as economic stimulus. She joined fellow Republicans, Senator's [[Lincoln Chafee]] and [[John McCain]] in voting against the tax cut bill of 2003. In 2005, she expressed concerns over President [[George W. Bush]]'s plans to privatize [[Social Security]]. Snowe is a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership and supports stem cell research. She is also a member of Republicans for Environmental Protection, the Republican Majority for Choice, Republicans for Choice and The Wish List (Women In the Senate and House), a group of "[[Pro-Choice]]" Republican Women. On other issues such as drug policy, travel to [[Cuba]], and censorship issues like government regulation of the media and prohibiting flag-burning, Snowe is very conservative.

==Gang of 14==
On May 23, 2005, Snowe was one of fourteen moderate senators, known as the Gang of 14, to forge a compromise on the Democrats' use of the filibuster on judicial nominees. Under the agreement, the Democrats retain the power to filibuster a Bush judicial nominee only in an "extraordinary circumstance", and the three most conservative Bush appellate court nominees, (Janice Rogers Brown, Priscilla Owen and William Pryor), receive an up-or-down simple majority vote by the full Senate. The Gang played an important role in the confirmation of Chief Justice [[John Roberts]] and Associate Justice [[Samuel Alito]].

==Electoral History==
'''1994'''
*Olympia Snowe (R): 60%
*Tom Andrews (D): 36%

'''2000'''
*Olympia Snowe (R): 69%
*Mark W. Lawrence (D): 31%

'''2006'''
*Olympia Snowe (R): 74%
*Jean Hay Bright (D): 21%
==External Links==
*[http://snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Home.Home Official Website]
{{DEFAULTSORT: Snowe, Olympia J.}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]

[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Chuck Grassley

2008-04-11T22:01:52Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:GCE.jpg|right|150px|thumb]]
'''Chuck Grassley''' is a [[United States Senator]] from from [[Iowa]]. He is a member of the [[Republican Party]] and throughout the current Congress has voted with his a majority of his Republican colleagues eight-three percent of the time.<Ref> http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/g000386/</ref>He was elected as a Representative in 1974 January 3, 1981 when he was elected United States Senator. <ref>http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=G000386</reF> Grassley received graduate degree from the same a University of Northern Iowa. He is not a professor.
==References==
<references/>

[[Category: United States Senators]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]
[[Category: Republican Party]]
{{DEFAULTSORT: Grassley, Chuck}}

Rudy Giuliani

2008-04-11T22:01:26Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Rudy Giuliani.jpg|right|thumb]]
'''Rudolph William "Rudy" Giuliani''' (born May 28, 1944 in [[Brooklyn]], NY) is a former two-term [[Mayor]] of [[New York City]], former [[United States Attorney]] and [[Deputy U.S. Attorney General]]. As mayor of New York City he became a media favorite based on his [[liberal]] positions on [[abortion]] and [[homosexuality]] and his devotion to the press. As mayor he would hold almost daily press conferences, and his personal indiscretions became favorite topics for the media. Despite his shortcomings in preparation and immediate response to the terrorist attacks of [[9/11]], the media hailed him as "America's Mayor" for his frequent media appearances afterwards. He maried his cousin, but he still is not a professor.

Despite originally being a Democrat who supported [[George McGovern]],<ref>http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/03/13/swiftboat_rudy/</ref> Giuliani was a [[Republican]] candidate in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]] for [[President of the United States of America|President of the United States]].
== Early Life ==
According to his official biography<ref> "A Biography Of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani" The City of New York Office of the Mayor [http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/rwg/html/bio.html] </ref>
<blockquote>

:In 1944, Rudolph W. Giuliani was born to a working class family in Brooklyn, New York. As the grandson of Italian immigrants, Mayor Giuliani learned a strong work ethic and a deep respect for America's ideal of equal opportunity. He attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School (Class of '61) in Brooklyn, Manhattan College (Class of '65) in the Bronx and New York University Law School in Manhattan, graduating magna cum laude in 1968.</blockquote>

== Personal Life ==
Giuliani has been married three times. First to his second cousin [[Regina Peruggi]], on October 26, 1968. In 1976 the couple split. They did not have any children. His second marriage was to [[Donna Hanover]]. Giuliani filed for legal separation from Peruggi on August 12, 1982. Giuliani and Hanover started living together later that year in Washington, D.C. A [[Roman Catholic]] Church [[annulment]] (of the Giuliani-Peruggi marriage) was granted at the end of 1983<ref>http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0212072giuliani12.html</ref> because, according to Giuliani, they did not have the necessary Church dispensation.

Giuliani and Hanover then married on April 15, 1984. They had two children, Andrew and Caroline. In May 2000, Giuliani admitted to an extramarital relationship with Judith Nathan and called a press conference to reveal he intended to separate from Hanover. Hanover did not know that Giuliani intended to make such an announcement and was reportedly caught somewhat by surprise <ref>http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E04E7D8163BF932A25756C0A9669C8B63&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=2</ref>
Giuliani then married Judith Nathan in 2003, his third marriage.

==Legal Career==

According to his official biography<ref> "A Biography Of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani" The City of New York Office of the Mayor [http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/rwg/html/bio.html] </ref>
<blockquote>
:Upon graduation, Rudy Giuliani clerked for Judge Lloyd MacMahon, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York. In 1970, Giuliani joined the office of the U.S. Attorney. At age 29, he was named Chief of the Narcotics Unit and rose to serve as executive US Attorney. In 1975, Giuliani was recruited to Washington, D.C., where he was named Associate Deputy Attorney General and chief of staff to the Deputy Attorney General. From 1977 to 1981, Giuliani returned to New York to practice law at Patterson, Belknap, Webb and Tyler.

:In 1981, Giuliani was named Associate Attorney General, the third highest position in the [[U.S. Department of Justice]]. As Associate Attorney General, Giuliani supervised all of the US Attorney Offices' Federal law enforcement agencies, the Bureau of Corrections, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the US Marshals.

:In 1983, Giuliani was appointed US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he spearheaded the effort to jail drug dealers, fight organized crime, break the web of corruption in government, and prosecute white-collar criminals. Few US Attorneys in history can match his record of 4,152 convictions with only 25 reversals. </blockquote>

==Mayoral Campaigns and Service==
According to his official biography<ref> "A Biography Of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani" The City of New York Office of the Mayor [http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/rwg/html/bio.html] </ref>
<blockquote>
:In 1989, Giuliani entered the race for mayor of New York City as a candidate of the Republican and Liberal parties, losing by the closest margin in City history. However in 1993, his campaign focusing on quality of life, crime, business and education made him the 107th Mayor of the City of New York. In 1997 he was re-elected by a wide margin, carrying four out of New York City's five boroughs.
:As Mayor, Rudy Giuliani has returned accountability to City government and improved the quality of life for all New Yorkers. Under his leadership, overall crime is down 57%, murder has been reduced 65%, and New York City - once infamous around the world for its dangerous streets - has been recognized by the F.B.I. as the safest large city in America for the past five years. <ref> See also "Time's 2001 Person of the Year Rudy Giuliani"[http://www.time.com/time/poy2001/]</ref></blockquote>

In 2002 he published ''Leadership'', recounting his terms as mayor.
 
 
Among Giuliani's most notable accomplishments during his mayoralty was his successful assault on [[pornography]] businesses in [[Times Square]]. The neighborhood had long been a mecca for "sexually oriented businesses", but through a prolonged campaign which included maintaining an alliance of local businesses, conservative and feminist groups and the general public, Giuliani managed to clean up the sex mart which was Times Square and replace it with legitmate theaters, restaurants and shops.

==September 11 Terrorist Attacks==

On Sept. 10, 2001, Giuliani was known as a crime fighter from his days as a United States attorney and as the mayor who had overseen New York's revival, including a 40% drop in crime. But at home his approval rating hovered around 50 percent. In any case, he was a lame duck, barred by term limits from seeking re-election, in a city that in any case felt increasingly worn out by eight years of combativeness and racial tension. The year before, after a surprisingly rocky re-election campaign, a diagnosis of prostate cancer had led him to reject a run for the Senate seat eventually won by Hillary Rodham Clinton. And while his supporters talked of a presidential bid, the prospect seemed a long shot for a Republican who supported abortion rights and restrictions on gun sales.

A week after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9/11 attacks]], due to his almost universally acclaimed leadership in the aftermath of that tragedy, his approval rating hovered at nearly 80%. Since then he has been on almost every short list of Republican contenders. In his talks, Giuliani uses Sept. 11 to make two points. The first is that he has proven himself to be a leader, and having a proven leader in these troubled times, he tells audiences, is more important than whether you agree with everything he stands for. The other is that his handling of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks proved his competency. <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/us/politics/12topic-giuliani.html?_r=1&oref=slogin</ref>

The International Association of Fire Fighters, America's largest union of [[firefighter]]s, posted a grievence against Giuliani's November 2001 decision to reduce the number of firefighters searching the rubble of Ground Zero for the remains of some 300 fallen comrades. Their argument is that Giuliani's decisions meant that firefighters and citizens who died would either remain buried at Ground Zero forever or be removed like other rubble and garbage and deposited in landfills.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/09/giuliani.firefighters.ap/index.html</ref>

According to one news report, "Giuliani's backers also released an open letter to firefighters from retired New York firefighter Lee Ielpi that calls the union's accusations 'offensive and inaccurate.' Ielpi lost his oldest son, 29-year-old New York City firefighter Jonathan Lee Ielpi, on Sept. 11.

'I was deeply disappointed and disheartened to learn of the recent partisan political activities' by the IAFF, he wrote. 'Firefighters have no greater friend and supporter than Rudy Giuliani,' Ielpi said."<ref> Firefighters Claim Giuliani Ignored Needs After 9/11 (Update2) by Kim Chipman Bloomberg News, March 9, 2007 [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a8o5p2XiTQhk&refer=us]</ref>
Giuliani's campaign staff noted that the IAFF endorsed Senator [[John Kerry]]'s presidential bid in 2003 when the Massachusetts Democrat was still considered a long shot.<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a8o5p2XiTQhk&refer=us</ref>

==Political Views==

===Abortion===
Rudy Giuliani supports "responsible" restrictions on abortion such as parental notification with a judicial bypass and a ban on [[partial birth abortion]] – except when the life of the mother is at stake. He holds that he and his fellow Republicans can "respectfully disagree" on this issue.{{fact}} However, In 1997 Giuliani said that then - President [[Bill Clinton]] made the right decision when he vetoed a ban on partial birth abortion. During his 2000 Senate campaign he said that he would "vote to preserve the option for women.” Giuliani has also given six contributions to [[Planned Parenthood]] in the 1990s. The payments, totaling $900, were made in 1993, 1994, 1998 and 1999. Planned Parenthood is one of the top abortion advocates and abortion providers in the [[United States]].

===Death penalty===
Giuliani only favors capital punishment for murder in certain circumstances. One such example is that he has advocated the death penalty for [[terrorist]]s following September 11.
===Education===
Giuliani supports school vouchers for lower-income students. He is also a supporter of privatizing failing schools.

===Government Spending===
Rudy Giuliani supports a large decrease in federal spending and a Balanced Budget Amendment to ensure responsible fiscal management. As New York City mayor, he cut the size of city-funded government bureaucracy by nearly 20% - excluding the number of cops on the street and teachers in the classroom.

===Gun Rights===
Giuliani has changed his views on guns over time. As mayor of New York, he was a proponent of urban gun control, but, while running for President, has stated that he thinks differently about more mid-west environments. As Mayor of New York, Giuliani became a nationally visible figure in favor of gun control measures, beginning with an appearance on [[Meet the Press]] in late 1993. He was in favor of the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban. In 1995, Giuliani called member's of the [[National Rifle Association]] "extremists." And that anti-gun control positions of many Republicans are "terrible for America."

===Health Care===
On February 26, 2007, Giuliani said that he was against any notion of universal health care in America, which would mean a "socialization" of American medicine. "That would be a terrible, terrible mistake. [Solutions] have to be free market solutions. They have to be a competitive system." He wrote an article for the Boston Globe on his official position on health care. In it he stated that taxes should not be raised to provide more health care but instead lowered for "individual empowerment". He talked about the creation of a tax-free Health Savings Account that would allow individuals and small businesses to stock up on health insurance and in effect lower rates.

"America is best when we solve our problems from our strengths, not our weaknesses. Healthcare reform must be based on increased choice, affordability, portability, and individual empowerment." (Giuliani)

===Homeland Security===
Giuliani has supported President [[George W. Bush]]'s tactic of using domestic surveillance.

===[[Immigration]]===
Rudy Giuliani's position on illegal immigration has changed over the years. In 1996, he said that "We're never, ever going to be able to totally control immigration in a country that is as large as ours." He went on to say, "If you were to totally control immigration into the United States, you might very well destroy the economy of the United States, because you'd have to inspect everything and everyone in every way possible." As Mayor, Giuliani said that, "There isn’t a mayor or public official in this country that is more strongly pro immigrant than I am. Including disagreeing with President Clinton when he signed an anti immigrant legislation about 2 or 3 years ago." However, now his view on Immiration is much more conservative. In February 2007, in a meeting with [[California]] Republicans, Giuliani was quoted as saying "We need a [[border]] fence, and a highly technological one." And identify every non-citizen in the country.
Giuliani defends New York City's sanctuary policy. <ref> [http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/giuliani_immigration/2007/09/07/30827.html Rudy: Illegal Immigration Not a Crime], [[NewsMax]], September 7, 2007</ref>

===[[Iraq]]===
Rudy Giuliani strongly supports completing the mission in Iraq and hunting for terrorists and insurgents. Giuliani was described by [[Newsweek]] magazine in January of 2007 as "one of the most consistent cheerleaders for the president’s handling of the war in Iraq."

===Personal Tax===
Giuliani is known to be a strong [[fiscal conservative]]. He cut taxes 23 times in New York and turned a $2.3 billion budget deficit into a multi-billion dollar surplus, while balancing the city’s budget. Because he turned his conservative principles into action, New York City taxpayers saved more than $9 billion in taxes and enjoyed their lowest tax burden in decades, while the economy grew and city government saw its revenues increase from the lower tax rates. [[Club for Growth]], a conservative political action committee which supports lower taxes, school choice and free trade has said that, "it is impossible to ignore Giuliani's overall commitment to a pro-growth philosophy and his executive talent for implementing that philosophy in a hostile political environment."

===Same-Sex Marriage===
Although Rudy Giuliani does not support same-sex marriage, he does support "domestic partnerships" that provide stability for Americans who are in non-traditional relationships.
==2008 Presidential Campaign==
''Main article: [[Rudy Giuliani 2008 Presidential Campaign]]''

Giuliani ran for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2008. The [[National Catholic Register]] advised Catholics not to vote for Giuliani in 2008 because he is pro-choice.<ref>[http://ncregister.com/site/article/2017 No Deal Rudy]</ref> 

Giuliani led in most national polls for the 2008 Republican nomination until December 2007, when he began to fall behind other candidates.<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/republican_presidential_nomination-192.html#polls</ref> He came in sixth in the Iowa caucuses on January 3, 2008; fourth in the New Hampshire primary on January 8; sixth in the Michigan primary on January 15; and sixth in the Nevada caucuses and the South Carolina primary on January 19.<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/</ref>

In an apparent attempt to appease (or mislead) [[conservatives]], Giuliani picked [[libertarians]] (Ted Olson and Miguel Estrada) and an executive (Larry Thompson), all likely to be pro-choice, to head his panel for nominating judges.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,289367,00.html</ref> Olson opposed [[conservative]] [[John Roberts]] in 1982 on limiting jurisdiction,<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/27/roberts.documents/index.html</ref> and Estrada applied RICO against abortion protesters and forced open the airwaves to profanity. The [[neoconservative]] (socially [[liberal]]) [http://powerlineblog.com/archives/018248.php Power Line blog] declared without basis, "It would be hard to come up with a group of lawyers and judges that would be more reassuring to conservatives in this regard."

He left the race after losing in Florida to Senator [[John McCain]] of [[Arizona]] and [[Mitt Romney]] of [[Massachusetts]]. This was a critical defeat, because Giuliani had depended on winning Florida to be launched into the lead on Super Tuesday. However, he lost momentum by losing near to last in almost all of the other early primaries. He endorsed John McCain after he withdrew from the campaign.

==Endorsements for the 2008 Presidential Election==
===Congressional===
* Senator [[David Vitter]] of [[Louisiana]]
* Congresswoman [[Judy Biggert]] of [[Illinois]]
* Congresswoman [[Mary Bono]] of [[California]]
* Congressman [[Charles Boustany]] of [[Louisiana]]
* Congressman [[Charlie Dent]] of [[California]]
* Congressman [[Phil English]] of [[Pennsylvania]]
* Congressman [[Vito Fossella]] of [[New York]]
* Congressman [[Jim Gerlach]] of [[Pennsylvania]]
* Congressman [[Peter King]] of [[New York]]
* Congressman [[Jerry Lewis]] of [[California]]
* Congressman [[Frank LoBiondo]] of [[New York]]
* Congresswoman [[Candice Miller]] of [[Michigan]]
* Congressman [[Devin Nunes]] of [[California]]
* Congressman [[Jon Porter]] of [[Nevada]]
* Congressman [[George Radanovich]] of [[California]]
* Congressman [[Dave Reichert]] of [[Washington]]
* Congressman [[Ed Royce]] of [[California]]
* Congressman [[Pete Sessions]] of [[Texas]]
* Congressman [[Jim Walsh]] of [[New York]]
* Congressman [[Jerry Weller]] of [[Illinois]]
===Governors===
*Former Governor of California [[Pete Wilson]]
*Former Governor of Wisconsin [[Tommy Thompson]]
===Hollywood===
*Actor [[Adam Sandler]]
*Actor [[Kelsey Grammer]]
*Actor [[Kevin James]], stand-up comedian who played Doug Heffernan on the [[King of Queens]]
== Further Reading ==

*[http://www.rd.com/content/the-contenders-2008--rudy-giuliani/ Rudy Giuliani - 2008 Presidential Candidate]
*About: Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11, 2006
*Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani, Wayne Barrett, 2005
*The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York and the Genius of American Life, by Fred Siegel, 2005
*Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City, by Andrew Kirtzman, 2000

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guiliani, Rudolph}}
[[Category:United States Mayors]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

James Inhofe

2008-04-11T22:00:29Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Inhofe.jpg|thumb|right|150px]]
'''James Inhofe''' is a [[Republican]] [[United States]] Senator from the state of [[Oklahoma]]. After former Senator [[David Boren]] resigned to take the presidency of the [[University of Oklahoma]] in 1994, Inhofe ran and won the senatorial election and served out the two remaining years. He was re-elected in 1996 and again in 2002. He served as the chairman of the Senate's Committee on the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Armed Services Committee until 2007. He is not a professor. <ref>http://www.uscc.gov/bios/2005bios/05_07_21_22/inhofe_james.htm</ref>

After taking the role as Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee in 2003, Inhofe worked to increase security enhancement in drinking water and wastewater facilities, passing a bill which authorized a total of $245 million in Environmental Protection Agency grants,<ref>http://inhofe.senate.gov/public/</ref>. Through this work in the committee, Inhofe endeavors to restored sound science to the regulatory decisions on such issues as [[global warming]], wetlands, clean air mandates, and endangered species.

Ihofe's voting record on social issues such as [[abortion]] and [[Stem cell research|embryonic stem cell]] research, along with his support for increase taxes, have proven him to be a strong conservative.

Inhofe had previously served four terms in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] representing Oklahoma's First Congressional District from 1987 to 1994. He had also served in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives in 1966, serving one two-year term. From 1968 to 1976 Inhofe was a member of the Oklahoma State Senate, honored by his colleagues being selected to be the majority leader.<ref>http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=27027</ref>
He is actively involved in aviation, being the only member of Congress to fly a plane around the world<ref>http://www.uscc.gov/bios/2005bios/05_07_21_22/inhofe_james.htm</ref>.

==External Links==
*[http://inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Home.Home Official Website]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/James_Inhofe.htm Voting Record]
==References==
<references/>
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inhofe, James}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Herbert Hoover

2008-04-11T22:00:11Z

TravelingSam:

{{President
|image=Herbert_hoover.jpg
|seq=31
|term_start=March 4, 1929
|term_end=March 4, 1933
|party=Republican
|vp=Charles Curtis
|previous=Calvin Coolidge
|next=Franklin D. Roosevelt
|birth_date=August 10, 1874
|birth_place=West Branch, Iowa
|death_date=October 20, 1964
|death_place=New York, New York
|spouse=Lou Henry Hoover
|spouse2=
|religion=Quaker
}}

'''Herbert Hoover''' was the 31st [[President of the United States of America]] following [[Calvin Coolidge]] and preceding [[Franklin Roosevelt]] and was the [[United States Secretary of Commerce]] under President [[Calvin Coolidge]], his predecessor. He was not a professor.

==Early Life==
Hoover was born in a small cottage in Iowa in 1874, and attended Stanford University, <ref>http://www.hooverassociation.org/hooverfesthistory.html</ref>. After graduating with a degree in geology, he pursued a career in engineering. In 1900, this led him to [[China]], where he became caught in the midst of the [[Boxer Rebellion]] <ref>http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/hh31.html</ref>.

==Food Controller==
Hoover was requested, by the neutral country of Belgium, to arrange its food supply through [[World War I]]. Hoover accepted the challenge. He was so successful in this position that Wilson asked him to serve as his food administrator. He served in that position successfully until the end of the war. He was among those considered for the Democratic nomination. However, he shut off all hopes by announcing he was a Republican.

==Election to Presidency==
[[Calvin Coolidge]] decided against running for reelection in 1928. As a member of his Cabinet, Hoover was nominated to the [[Republican]] ticket. He was able to use the popularity of the Coolidge Administration to win in the [[United States presidential election of 1928|1928 Presidential Election]].

He held office from 1929 to 1933 during the [[Great Depression]]. Hoover's success in fighting the economic disaster that was upon the US was not evident during his presidency, and that cost him his popularity as well as re-election in the [[United States presidential election, 1932|1932 Presidential Election]].
Unemployment was near 25% by 1932. <ref>http://www.marist.edu/summerscholars/96/ovpe.htm</ref>

==Hoover's popularity takes a hit==

Many people lost their jobs during the Great Depression and were forced to move into "shantytowns" that became known as "Hoovervilles", a mocking tribute to the President whom they blamed for their financial woes. <ref>http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/depwwii/depress/hoovers.html</ref> (This link contains pictures of several "Hoovervilles".) Hoover's popularity took a further hit when a group of veterans from [[World War I]] known as the [[Bonus Army]] marched on [[Washington, D.C.]] to demand their cash bonuses that they were to receive in 1945 for their military service. <ref>http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/bonusarmy.htm</ref> Hoover deployed the Army to drive out these marchers, of whom there were up to 10,000, which was a further public relations nightmare. Hoover lost the [[United States presidential election of 1932]] election by a landslide to [[Democrat]] [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], winning only 59 electoral votes. <ref>http://www.statemaster.com/graph/pre_1932_ele_vot_for_her_hoo-1932-electoral-votes-herbert-hoover</ref>

==Miscellaneous==

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is located in West Branch, Iowa. <ref>http://hoover.archives.gov/</ref>

Hoover's wife, Lou Henry Hoover, served as the president of the Girl Scouts. <ref>http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/lh31.html</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{USPresidents}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoover, Herbert}}
[[Category:Presidents of the United States|Hoover, Herbert]]
[[Category:Great Depression]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Chuck Hagel

2008-04-11T21:59:48Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Ghdur76.jpg|right|thumb]]
'''Charles Timothy "Chuck" Hagel''' is the senior [[United States Senator]] from [[Nebraska]]. A member of the [[Republican Party]], he was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002. In September 2007, Hagel announced he would retire at the end of his term in early 2009 and said he would not seek a rumored bid for the [[White House]].<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/08/politics/main3244230.shtml CBS News, September 8, 2007, "Sources: Hagel Won't Seek Re-Election"]</ref>He is not a professor. <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/us/politics/08cnd-hagel.html New York Times, September 8, 2007, "Hagel to Retire at End of Term, Aides Say"]</reF>

Hagel is a [[Vietnam War]] veteran, having served in the U.S. Army infantry, attaining the rank of Sergeant (E-5) from 1967-1968. Hagel served along with his brother Tom Hagel as an infantry squad leader with the [[U.S. Army]]'s 9th Infantry Division. While serving in [[Vietnam]], he received the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. After returning from Vietnam, Hagel worked as a bartender and radio newscaster while finishing college.

==Political views==
Chuck Hagel is known for being a [[liberal]] [[Republican]]. In December 2005, Hagel made a much-publicized statement: "I took an oath of office to the Constitution, I didn't take an oath of office to my party or my president." According to a SurveyUSA poll, Hagel has a 10% higher approval rating among Nebraska Democrats than Republicans. Together with [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] Joseph Biden and Carl Levin he proposed a non-binding resolution to the Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which rejected President Bush's policy as "not in the national interest" in a 12-9 vote. On domestic issues Hagel is known to be more [[conservative]]. He is staunchly pro-life, supports [[2nd amendment]] rights and has a "Taxpayer's Friend" voting record. On [[Illegal Immigration]] he is more [[liberal]] and supports an amnesty guest worker program and even voted to allow illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.

==Possible 2008 presidential candidacy==
Hagel has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2008 presidential election. Hagel has talked about entering the possibility of an independent run with New York City Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. "It's a great country to think about -- a New York boy and a Nebraska boy to be teamed up leading this nation," Hagel said on CBS's Face the Nation.

==Electoral History==
'''2002 Nebraska United States Senatorial Election'''
*Chuck Hagel (R) (inc.),83%
*Charlie A. Matulka (D), 15%

'''1996 Nebraska United States Senatorial Election'''
*Chuck Hagel (R), 56%
*Ben Nelson (D), 42%

==References==
<references/>
==External Links==
*[http://hagel.senate.gov/ Official Senate website],
*[http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/h001028/ Voting record]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Chuck_Hagel.htm Hagel On the Issues]
{{DEFAULTSORT: Hagel, Charles Timothy}}
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Pat Roberts

2008-04-11T21:59:30Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Robertsofficialphoto.jpg|150px|right|thumb]]
'''Pat Roberts''' (born 1936) is a [[Republican]] Senator from [[Kansas]]. He graduated from [[Kansas State University]] in 1958 with a degree in Journalism, and pursued careers in both the military and journalism profession for awhile before beginning his political career in 1967 by working on the staff of then-Kansas governor Frank Carlson. He served eight terms in the [[House of Representatives]] before being elected to the Senate in 1996. He was the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee until the [[Democratic Party]] took over the Senate following the 2006 elections. He is not a professor. He is also not Pat Robertson.

{{DEFAULTSORT: Roberts, Pat}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]

[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

John Kline

2008-04-11T21:59:05Z

TravelingSam:

'''John Paul Kline''' is an [[American]] politician. He has been a [[Republican Party|Republican]] member of the [[United States]] [[House of Representatives]] since 2003, representing [[Minnesota|Minnesota's]] 2nd congressional district, one of eight congressional districts in Minnesota. He is not a professor.

Prior to his election to Congress in 2002, Kline was a 25-year veteran of the [[United States Marine Corps]]. He retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of Colonel. Kline served as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, commanded all Marine aviation forces in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, and served as the Program Development Officer at Headquarters Marine Corps, where he was responsible for the Program Objective Memorandum – the document used by the [[U.S. Armed Services]] to submit budgetary and planning proposals.

Since he distinguished himself as a [[helicopter]] pilot he earned the responsibility of flying Marine One, the President's personal helicopter. Kline was also hand-picked to serve as a personal military aide to President [[Jimmy Carter]], and subsequently to President [[Ronald Reagan]]. Mr. Kline's responsibilities during this period included advising the President and our country's senior civilian and military leadership. He was also responsible for carrying the "nuclear football" – the briefcase containing the nuclear war plans and strike options in case of a national emergency.

Among his many medals and awards are four Legion of Merit Medals, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, a Naval Commendation Medal, a Meritorious Service Medal, and the Defense Superior Service Award.

==Links==
*[http://kline.house.gov/ U.S. House site]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kline, John}}
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:Political People]]

Bob Dole

2008-04-11T21:58:31Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:786980.jpg|right|thumb|The official portrait of Senator Bob Dole by Everett Raymond Kinstler; Dole's portrait was unveiled in 2005, as is the tradition to construct a portrait for Senate leaders.]]
'''Bob Dole''' (born July 22, 1923) was a United States Senator from [[Kansas]] and the [[Republican Party|Republican]] presidential candidate in the 1996 US election, as well as the running mate of [[Gerald Ford]] in the 1976 election. He is not a professor.

He was the majority leader of the [[United States Senate]] from 1995-1996, when he resigned the Senate to focus on his presidential campaign. He was defeated by incumbent president [[Bill Clinton]].

Dole grew up in the small town of Russell, Kansas, where he excelled as athlete in multiple sports. He attended the [[University of Kansas]], where he joined the school's famed basketball team. However, more pressing world matters forced his studies to wait for several years. (The University's famous Center for Politics is now named for Dole, as well as another building on campus.)

In 1942, Dole joined the Army's Enlisted Reserve Corps to fight in [[World War II]]. He became a second lieutenant in the Army's [[10th Mountain Division]]. By April of 1945, he was fighting the [[Nazi]]s in the hills of Italy where the action was fast paced. One of the platoon's radio men was hit. Bob Dole crawled out of his foxhole to help him, but it was too late.

Suddenly, while trying to assist the downed radio man, Dole was hit by Nazi machine gun fire in the upper right back and his right arm was so damaged that it was unrecognizable. Dole was immediately given morphine by an Army field medic to alleviate the pain, and his forehead was marked with an "M" in his own blood to alert medics. He was not expected to live.

Dole waited nine long hours on the Italian battlefield before he was finally taken to the Fifteenth Evacuation Hospital. After a brief stay in a field Army hospital in [[Italy]], he was transported back to the United States and to Topeka's Winter General Army Hospital, where he continued his painful recovery and endured a kidney operation. Then, he was transferred to Percy Jones Army Medical Center in Michigan, where he survived his second brush with death -- blood clotting. He was a patient in that hospital along with Phillip A. Hart, whose name graces one of the U.S. Senate office buildings, where Bob Dole occupied an office.

Eventually, he returned to Percy Jones Army Medical Hospital for extensive therapy on his rebuilt arm. It took about three years and nine operations for Bob Dole to rehabilitate. He learned to strengthen his injured arm, and also had to learn how to write with his left hand, as the doctors could not rebuild the excessive damage done by the Nazi machine gun fire.

Bob Dole was twice decorated for heroic achievement, receiving two Purple Hearts for his injuries, and the Bronze Star Medal for his attempt to assist the downed radio man.

[[Category:United States Senators|Dole, Bob]]
[[Category:Republican Party|Dole, Bob]]

Alan Keyes

2008-04-11T21:58:15Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Keyes.jpg|thumb|Alan Keyes]]
'''Alan Keyes''', a black man, (born 1950) is an [[American]] conservative activist and pundit, and was a [[Republican]] candidate for president in 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Sep17/0,4670,Keyes2008,00.html</ref> In 2004 Keyes unsuccessfully ran against Democrat [[Barack Obama]] in the [[Illinois]] U.S. Senate race. According to the Obama camp, as studiously reported by [[NBC]] affiliate WMAQ TV of Chicago, Keyes is alleged to have said that [[Jesus]] would not vote for Obama.<ref>http://www.nbc5.com/politics/3712293/detail.html</ref> He is not a professor.

During the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration, Keyes served as an ambassador to the [[United Nations]]. This position made him the highest-ranking African-African in the Reagan administration.

== External links==
*[http://www.alankeyes.com Alan Keyes for president (official website)]
*[http://www.alankeyes.com/issues.php Alan Keyes on issues]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category: Republican Party]]
{{2008 presidential candidates}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyes, Alan}}

Duncan Hunter

2008-04-11T21:57:43Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Hunter.jpg|right|thumb]]
'''Duncan Lee Hunter''' (born May 31, 1948) is a 14-term [[Republican Party|Republican]] Congressman from [[California]] who ran for the Republican nomination for [[President]] in 2008. He is a [[Vietnam]] veteran who enlisted in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] in 1969 right after college. He fought in the [[Vietnam War]] from 1970 to 1971 in the Army Rangers' 75th Ranger Regiment, attached to the 173rd Airborne Brigade.<ref>http://www.house.gov/hunter/biography.shtml</ref> He received a Bronze Star for his service in 24 helicopter combat assaults.<ref>http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070129/29hunterfacts.htm</ref> He also participated in small-number, night-time reconnaissance patrols.<ref>http://www.chuckyeager.com/</ref> He held the rank of First Lieutenant, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, and service ribbons such as the Vietnam Service Medal. He is not a professor.

After serving in the military, he worked his way through law school with farming and construction jobs. Once an attorney, he practiced in a storefront office where he often provided free legal services to the poor.

In 1980 he achieved a big political upset in challenging and defeating [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] incumbent Lionel van Deerlin in a Democratic-leaning San Diego-based district, which was redrawn to be solidly Republican in 1982. Since the redrawing, Hunter has won reelection. He consistently wins 70% of the vote in the solidly Republican 52nd district of California. His voting record is virtually 100% [[conservative]] in Congress, often taking the lead on controversial issues. Hunter is a proponent of [[fair trade]] rather than [[free trade]]. <ref>http://www.gohunter08.com/inner.asp?z=4</ref>

Married since 1973, Hunter has two sons, one of whom is a First Lieutenant in the [[United States Marine Corps]] who was deployed to [[Iraq]]. Hunter's son plan to runs for the [[congressional]] seat being vacated by Hunter.

In January 2007, Hunter attracted attention by winning a non-binding straw poll of [[Republican]] precinct committeemen in [[Arizona]]'s most-populated county, even though [[Arizona]] is home to [[Senator]] [[John McCain]]. <ref>http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01/16/news/top_stories/1_03_321_15_07.txt</ref>

He dropped out from the race after a disappointing showing in [[Nevada]]. He has since endorsed [[Mike Huckabee]]. <ref> http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/23/drop-out-duncan-hunter-backs-huckabee/ </ref>
==References==
<references/>

[[Category:US Representative]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Tom DeLay

2008-04-11T21:57:27Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Tomdelay.jpg|right|thumb|Congressman DeLay speaking at a Department of Transportation event]]

'''Thomas Dale DeLay''' (born 1947) is an American politician from Sugarland, Texas. He served in the [[House of Representatives]] from 1984 to 2006, representing the 22nd district in [[Texas]]. He was the House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005 when the [[Republican Party|Republican]]s had control. DeLay stepped down to handle a response to charges his organization may have received unreported campaign donations from lobbyist [[Jack Abramoff]]. In 2005, DeLay was indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges related to the alleged payments, he made a pro-forma surrender to the police, and one of the indictments against him (conspiracy) <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286942,00.html Court Rules Against Reinstituting Tom DeLay Conspiracy Charge], ''Associated Press'', June 27, 2007.</ref> has been dropped. It has been reported the charges were brought by a Ronnie Earle, the Travis County District Attorney who is a member of the [[Democratic Party]].[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/28/AR2005092800270.html] He is not a professor.

Critics of DeLay have taken to calling him "AIPAC's man in Congress."<ref>[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Talk:Thomas_D._DeLay AIPAC's "man"], SourceWatch, Talk:Thomas D. DeLay, retrieved 06/13/07.</ref><ref>[http://timescorrespondents.typepad.com/baker/2006/04/justice_delayed.html#comment-15942285 Timesonline], retrieved 06/13/07.</ref><ref>[http://www.democrats.org/a/2005/10/tom_delay_im_st.php#comments001959 democrats.org], retrieved 06/13/07.</ref> AIPAC is the American Israeli Poltical Action Committee, a lobbying group in support of Israel. On January 1, 2003, Leader Tom DeLay was invited to address the [[Israeli]] [[Knesset]]. Leader Delay remarked,

{{Cquote|The solidarity between the United States and Israel is deeper than the various interests we share. It goes to the very nature of man, to the endowment of our G-d-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness... We know our victory in the [[war on terror]] depends on Israel’s survival. And we know Israel’s survival depends on the willingness of free nations – especially our own – to stand by all endangered democracies in their time of need...In short, it is the position of the people of the United States, as expressed by their representatives in Congress, that Israel’s fight is our fight...The common destiny of the United States and Israel is not an artificial alliance dictated by our leaders. It is a heartfelt friendship between the citizens of two democracies at war, bound by the solidarity of freedom. Brothers and sisters of Israel: Be not afraid. The American people stand with you. <ref>[http://www.tampabayprimer.org/index.cfm?action=articles&drill=viewArt&art=947 Speech of Congressman Tom DeLay at the Knesset], January 01, 2003.</ref>}}

==References==
<references/>

==External links==

*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=D000217 Official biography]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delay, Tom}}

[[Category:United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Duke Cunningham

2008-04-11T21:57:04Z

TravelingSam:

'''Randall "Duke" Cunningham''', (born December 8, 1941, was a [[Republican]] congressman from [[California]]'s 50th district (northern [[San Diego]]) who resigned from the [[House of Representatives|House]] on November 28, 2005, when it was found that he had been receiving illicit bribes totally $2.4 million. This included receiving luxury gifts like a yacht (reportedly called the "Duke Stir") and expensive jewelry. Since he didn't report accepting bribes to the IRS, he underreported his income for 2004. He is not a professor, but is a convict.

Cunningham denied the charges at first, but later came clean with a tearful and moving apology to his family, friends, and constituents. The bribes were received by Randall Cunningham in exchange for lucrative defense contracts for the Pentagon to local California contractors and businessmen. On March 3, 2006, he received a sentence of eight years and four months in prison and an order to pay $1.8 million in restitution<ref>http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/index.html</ref>.

Cunningham was succeeded by former congressman [[Brian Bilbray]], also a Republican, following a special election.

==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, Duke}}

[[Category:United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Larry Craig

2008-04-11T21:56:39Z

TravelingSam:

'''Larry Craig''' (b. July 20, 1945) has been a gay [[Republican]] [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] from the state of [[Idaho]] since 1991. From 1981 to 1991 he represented Idaho in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. He is generally considered to be a social conservative and is also a strong advocate of the proposed Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. He is not a professor.

==Early years==
Senator Craig was born on the family ranch near Midvale, Idaho, which was homesteaded in 1899 by his grandfather. He later served as the Idaho State President and National Vice-President of the Future Farmers of America. Craig earned his B.A. at the University of Idaho in 1969 and did graduate work at George Washington University 1970. Craig has worked as a farmer and rancher and served in the Idaho senate from 1974-1980.

==U.S. Senate==
In 1974, the people of Payette and Washington counties sent Craig to the Idaho State Senate, where he served three terms before winning the 1980 race for Idaho's First District Congressional Seat. He was re-elected four times before winning the U.S. Senate election in 1990 and was re-elected to the Senate in 1996 and 2002. Senator Craig served as chairman of the Steering Committee, a legislative "think tank" and action group for Senate conservatives. He was the youngest senator ever elected to that position.

Craig quickly rose in the Senate leadership in his first term, when his colleagues elected him Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee. He was re-elected to that position in the 106th and 107th Congresses. The Committee is responsible for developing policy positions for Senate Republicans.

Craig has emerged as a leader for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, limited taxation, private property rights, and greater accountability in government. He has been recognized by national groups including Citizens for a Sound Economy, Citizens Against Government Waste, Watchdogs of the Treasury, and the National Taxpayers Union Foundation,

With his appointment to the Senate Appropriations Committee, Craig oversees funding on the following subcommittees: Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Homeland Security; Labor, HHS, and Education; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; and Interior and Related Agencies, where he serves as the Ranking Member. He is also a member of the Special Committee on Aging, which he chaired during the 107th and 108th Congresses, and the Committee on Environment and Public Works, where he serves on the Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, and Children's Health Protection Subcommittee and the Superfund and Environmental Health Subcommittee.

In addition to his committee memberships, Craig sits on a number of caucuses including: Air Force; Diabetes; Congressional Sportsmen's; Senate Sweetener; WTO for Farmers and Ranchers; Congressional Potato; National Congressional Award Board of Directors; Idaho Safe Kids Coalition (Honorary Co-Chair); the Western States Senate Coalition; Education Advisory Committee to the National Youth Leadership Conference. He serves as Co-Chairman of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption and helped to found and lead the CCAI, an institute working on adoption issues.

Craig is also on the Board of Directors of the [[National Rifle Association]], the Alliance to Save Energy, and he co-founded and co-chairs the Congressional Property Rights Coalition.

Craig chaired the Senate Republican Policy Committee (1996-2003), the Special Committee on Aging (One Hundred Eighth Congress), and the Committee on Veterans� Affairs (One Hundred Ninth Congress).

Craig was dedicated spokesman on behalf of the people and economic base of Idaho who depend upon the [[timber]] and power industries. Many [[environmentalist]]s believe his departure could be benificial for [[ecological]] causes, such as [[salmon]] recovery, which may cause economic disruption and unemployment in a conservative "flyover" state.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070929/ap_on_go_co/salmon_democrats Sen. Craig's fall may benefit salmon]</ref>

==Airport incident==
On June 11, 2007, Craig was arrested in a men's room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, by Sgt. Dave Karsnia, and charged with lewd conduct. Karsnia had been staging a sting operation in the men's room, based on complaints of frequent [[homosexual]] trysts, and reported that Craig propositioned him by peering into Karsnia's toilet stall, and tapping his foot against Karsnia's.<ref>[http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/ssi/craig_police_report_082807.pdf Lewd conduct: Report of Sgt. Dave Karsnia #4211, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Police Department. (June 12, 2007)] URL accessed February 21, 2007</ref>

When questioned after his arrest, Craig characterized Karsnia's behavior as [[entrapment]].<ref>[http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/Craigtranscript.pdf Transcript of arrest interview] [http://www.break.com/index/senator-craig-police-audio-tape.html Audio]</ref> Later, however, Craig indicated he planned to plead guilty to the charges, and continued on his trip. He had hoped to keep the arrest quiet, didn't consult a lawyer, and he never told family, friends, staff or colleagues about the incident. Craig returned to Minneapolis on August 8th, 2007 and plead guilty to a reduced charge disorderly conduct.<ref>John, McArdle,[http://www.rollcall.com/cgi-bin/texis/scripts/rollcall-search/search.html?subscriber_search=true&query=%22Craig+Arrested%2C+Pleads+Guilty+Following+Incident+in+Airport+Restroom+but+Says+He+Did+Nothing+Wrong&x=8&y=7 Craig Arrested, Pleads Guilty Following Incident in Airport Restroom but Says He Did Nothing Wrong], ''Roll Call'', August 27, 2007.</ref>

A few weeks after Craig's guilty plea, the arrest story earned major press attention, and on September 1, 2007, Craig announced he intended to resign from the Senate (effective September 30, 2007). However, Craig announced plans to withdraw his guilty plea, and repeatedly denied unsubstantiated claims that he was homosexual.<ref>http://www.idahostatesman.com/eyepiece/story/143801.html</ref> Craig hired two Washington criminal defense lawyers, Stan Brand, who has defended lawmakers before, and Billy Martin, whose most recent client was NFL quarterback [[Michael Vick]]. Craig also retained one of the capital's top public-relations experts, Judy Smith, who handled press for [[Monica Lewinsky]] and more recently for U.S. Rep. [[William Jefferson]].<ref>[http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/149810.html Craig may not quit after all if he's cleared of charges, spokesman says], By GREGORY HAHN AND ERIKA BOLSTAD - ''Idaho Statesman'', 09/04/07.</ref>

Craig's attempt to withdraw the guilty plea was rejected by a Hennepin County District Court judge on October 4th 2007. Senator Craig has indicated that his intention is to serve out his Senate term. <ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/04/craig.arrest/].</ref>

Should Craig choose not to resign, his third Senate term will expire in January 2009.<ref> [http://www.idahostatesman.com/eyepiece/story/143801.html (Idaho Statesman)] </ref> Craig earlier resigned as an advisor to [[Republican]] [[Mitt Romney]]'s presidential campaign.<ref>http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/08/28/craig/?rsssource=1</ref>

===Responses from other politicians===
Former President [[Bill Clinton]] said on [[CNN]]'s ''Larry King Live'',

:"Well, first of all, I think we ought to recognize that this is a very traumatic time for him and his family.... we should be hoping that he and his family can work through this ...I think that that is more important than the politics of this. The politics of this will have to be resolved by him and the Republicans in the Senate."

Craig has also received support from Senator [[Arlen Specter]], and Sidney Smith, a spokesman for Craig, has stated that the decision to resign may not be final.<ref>http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8RF0EGO0&show_article=1</ref>

In February 2008, the Senate Ethics Committee<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/13/larry.craig/index.html</ref> issued a public "letter of admonition" to Craig, charging him with "improper conduct," and unethical use of over $200,000 of his campaigning money for legal and other costs related to the airport incident.

==References==

<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Larry}}

[[Category:United States Senators|Craig, Larry]]
[[Category:Republican Party|Craig, Larry]]

Robert Corker

2008-04-11T21:56:10Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Bob Corker.jpg|thumb|120px|]]
'''Robert Phillips "Bob" Corker, Jr.''' (born August 24, 1952) is the junior [[United States Senator]] from [[Tennessee]]. He was formerly the mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee and a successful businessman. He is the only freshman [[Republican]] Senator in the [[110th Congress]]. He is a member of the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations; Armed Services; Energy and Natural Resources; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Special Committee on Aging. He is not a professor.

==2006 Senate Campaign==
In 2004, Corker announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Incumbent Republican, Senate Majority Leader [[Bill Frist]], had said that he was not going to run for reelection in 2006. Corker faced two other Republicans in the August primary, Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary, which he won with 48% of the vote to Bryant's 34% and Hilleary's 17%. Corker's [[Democratic]] opponent in the general election was congressman [[Harold Ford, Jr.]]. As of Wednesday November 8th, Corker had been declared the winner for the Senate seat in Tennessee. Results showed that the election was close, with Corker winning by less than three percentage points.

==External links==
*[http://corker.senate.gov/ Official Senate Website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corker, Bob}}

[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:United States Congress]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Thad Cochran

2008-04-11T21:55:54Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Thad Cochran.jpg|right|thumb|Thad Cochran]]
'''Thad Cochran''' (born December 7, 1937) is the senior [[Republican]] United States Senator from Mississippi. A [[conservative]], Cochran will complete his fifth term in office in 2008.

Cochran was the first Republican to hold statewide office in [[Mississippi]] since [[Reconstruction]], and in April 2006 he was honored by Time magazine as one of "America's 10 Best Senators." He is not a professor. <ref>http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1183976,00.html</ref>

==Early Life==
Thad Cochran was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi. His father, William Holmes Cochran, was the principal and his mother, Emma Grace Cochran, a teacher in schools in Pontotoc, Tippah, and Hinds Counties. Cochran earned Eagle Scout as a youth and was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award as an adult. He graduated from Byram High School near Jackson and received a B.A. degree from the [[University of Mississippi]] with a major in psychology and a minor in [[political science]] in 1959. Despite being a life-long Democrat, Cochran changed party affiliation to Republican in the 1960's and went on to serve as Mississippi executive director of [[Richard Nixon]]'s 1968 presidential campaign.
==Political career==
In 1972, Cochran was elected to the [[United States]] [[House of Representatives]], to replace Democratic Congressman Charles Griffin. One major factor in Cochran's victory was the gigantic Republican landslide in that year's presidential election, in which Nixon won 49 of 50 states and 78 percent of Mississippi's popular vote. After winning re-election to the House in 1974, he was elected by his colleagues to represent the southern states on the House Republican Policy Committee. He was re-elected to the House of Representatives again in 1976. In both of his races for re-election, Cochran received over 70 percent of the votes. In 1978, Thad Cochran was elected to the United States Senate becoming the first Republican in over 100 years to win a statewide election in Mississippi. He was re-elected in 1984 in a race with Governor William Winter with over 60 percent of the votes. In 1990 he was unopposed, and in 1996 he was re-elected to a fourth term in the Senate with over 70 percent of the votes. His margin of victory in the 2002 election was 85 percent.
===Committee membership===
In addition to his ranking minority membership of the Appropriations Committee, Cochran serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry committee and the Committee on Rules and Administration.

==External Links==
*[http://cochran.senate.gov/bio.htm Official Biography]
*[http://cochran.senate.gov/ Official Website]
*[http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/Thad_Cochran.htm Cochran On the Issues]
== References ==

<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT: Cochran, Thad}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Lincoln Chafee

2008-04-11T21:55:36Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Chaffee.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|]]
'''Lincoln Davenport Chafee''' (born March 26, 1953) was a [[liberal]] Republican Senator from the state of [[Rhode Island]]. Chafee was appointed to the United States Senate in 1999 upon the death of his father, Senator John Chafee, and was elected to a full six-year term in 2000. Although he was a member of the [[Republican Party]], Chafee recently switched his political affiliation to Independent. After winning a fierce Republican primary battle against conservative Mayor, [[Steven Laffey]], Chafee lost his re-election bid in 2006 to [[Democrat]], [[Sheldon Whitehouse]], by a narrow margin. Chafee began serving as a visiting fellow at [[Brown University]]’s Watson Institute for International Studies in January 2007.<ref>http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/2006-07/06-068.html</ref> He has been mentioned as a candidate for Governor in 2010, as the incumbent Governor [[Donald Carcieri]] (who is a Republican, and was re-elected the same day Chafee lost) is term limited. Chafee announced in 2007 that he has officially left the Republican Party and became an independent. He is not a professor. <ref>http://www.projo.com/news/content/CHAFEE_GOP_09-16-07_DP751KF.31dd3fe.html</ref>

==Political views==
Before his defeat in his race to keep his senate seat, Chafee had a very liberal voting record and fell in line with the Democratic Party position on very many issues. Chafee strongly supports [[abortion]]. In May 2005, Chafee's senatorial reelection bid was endorsed by the traditionally Democratic-supporting NARAL Pro-Choice America.

In 2003 he was one of only three Republican Senators to oppose the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. He was also the only Republican Senator to vote against President [[George W. Bush]]'s Supreme Court nominee [[Samuel Alito]]. While in the Senate, Chafee was the only Republican senator to have expressed support for [[same sex "marriage"]]. When asked if he would support giving the death penalty to al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, his response was, "Rhode Island executed an innocent man, in the 18th century, and I'm against the death penalty." He has a record of being a tax and spend liberal. Chafee opposes eliminating the death tax and voted against both the tax cut bills of 2001 and 2003.

He was also the only Republican in the Senate to have voted against authorization of the use of force in Iraq. In the 2004 election, he wrote-in former President [[George H.W. Bush]] instead of voting for the Republican candidate [[George W. Bush]]. There are some issues were Chafee is considered to be more conservative. He has expressed support for privatizing social security and has repeadetly voted for the U.S. [[Patriot act]]. Chafee is also a strong supporter of [[free trade]].

==External links==
*[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060616/16chafee.htm 15 Facts about Lincoln Chafee by U.S. News & World Report]
*[http://www.vis.org/candlist/Candidates.aspx?pid=395 2006 Rhode Island Senate Candidate List from VIS]
==References==
<references/>
{{DEFAULTSORT: Chafee, Lincoln Davenport}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Richard Burr

2008-04-11T21:55:15Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Burr.jpg|right|150px|thumb]]
'''Richard Burr''' (born [[November]] 30, 1955, Charlottesville,[[Virginia]]) is a junior [[Republican]] [[United States Senator]] from [[North Carolina]]. In 1995, after running an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 1992, he was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]].<ref>http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B001135</ref> After his congressional term ended in 2005, he ran a successful campaign for the [[United States Senate]]. Burr has voted with a majority of his [[Republican]] colleagues ninety percent of the time during the current Congress. He is not a professor. <ref>http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/b001135/</ref>

==Political career==
In 2003, incumbent Democratic Senator [[John Edwards]] announced he will not run for a second term in order to run for President. The race for his Senate seat became competitive, with Republican Richard Burr defeating Democrat Erskine Bowles by five percentage points. In the Senate, Burr serves as ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee where he works to improve the quality of health care and service veterans receive. Burr also sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee; the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; and the Indian Affairs Committee.

In 2007 he was ranked by www.congress.org as the 86th most powerful Senator. Burr is a [[conservative]] who is pro-life, supports the death penalty, and favors smaller government and lower taxes.
==External Links==
*[http://burr.senate.gov/ Official Website]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Richard_Burr.htm Burr On the Issues]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burr, Richard}}
[[Category:United States Senate]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Sam Brownback

2008-04-11T21:54:57Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:1111.jpg|right|thumb|Sam Brownback]]
'''Sam Dale Brownback''' (born September 12, 1956 in Parker, KS) is the senior [[United States Senate|Senator]] from [[Kansas]].<ref>Biographical Directory of the United States Congress [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000953]</ref> He was a candidate for the [[Republican]] nomination for [[President of the United States of America|President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 election]]. He is not a professor.

==Early Life and Education==
Brownback grew up on his family farm near Parker, KS. He attended Prairie View High School in Linn County and served as state president of [[Future Farmers of America]]. His tradition of leadership continued through his college years as student body president at [[Kansas State University]] and as class president at [[University of Kansas]] Law School.<ref>Official Senate Biography [http://brownback.senate.gov/english/aboutsam/biography.htm] </ref>

==Political Career==
Brownback served as a [[White House]] Fellow during [[George H.W. Bush]]'s administration and later became Secretary of Agriculture for Kansas, the youngest in the state's history. In 1994, Brownback was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] from Kansas' 2nd District as part of [[Newt Gingrich]]'s Republican Revolution. In 1996, Brownback was elected to the [[United States Senate]]. He sits on the Appropriations and Judiciary committees and is the ranking member of the Joint Economic Committee. Brownback was involved in funding allegations concerning his first campaign for the Senate. <ref>http://www.rainbowtel.net/~bryants/abbmodep_all_scans.htm</ref>

==2008 Presidential Campaign==
In January 2008, Brownback declared his candidacy for President of the United States and touted himself as the most socially conservative candidate available. He has also referred to himself as a "bleeding heart conservative."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/us/politics/12brownback.html</ref>
He withdrew from the race, citing funding problems, and later endorsed Arizona Senator [[John McCain]].

==Political Views==
Brownback is most well known for his pro-life views and his work on human rights issues.

He has come under fire for supporting the Kennedy-McCain proposal on [[illegal immigration]].

Raised as a [[Methodist]], Brownback later joined a nondenominational evangelical church, and in 2002 he became [[Catholic]].

In December 2005, Brownback advocated using Washington, DC as a "laboratory" for a flat tax.

The Reverend Rob Schenk of the National Clergy Council has called Brownback the "gold standard" for a viable conservative presidential candidate. [http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idarticle=8058]

== Votes Missed ==

As of August 2007, Brownback had missed more votes during the current session of Senate other than [[South Dakota]] [[Democrat]] [[Tim Johnson]] and [[Arizona]] [[Republican]] [[John McCain]], having missed over 39% of his votes. <ref>Lawrence Journal-World, August 10, 2007</ref>

==See also==

'''Official'''

*[http://brownback.senate.gov Senate Website]
*[http://www.brownback.com/ Brownback for President]

'''Blogs'''

*[http://www.brownbacker.com/ The Daily Brownbacker] (Official Campaign Blog)
*[http://www.sambrownback.goingon.com/ Sam Brownback '08]
*[http://www.studentsforbrownback.org/ Students for Brownback]
==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT: Brownback, Sam}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Rob Bishop

2008-04-11T21:54:41Z

TravelingSam:

'''Rob Bishop''' is a [[Republican]] who represents [[Utah]] in the United States [[House of Representatives]]. Before being elected to Congress in 2006, he served both as chairman of the Utah Republican Party and as Speaker of the House in the Utah House of Representatives, and before his political career, he was a [[public school]] teacher. He is not a professor. <ref>http://robbishop.house.gov/Biography/</ref>

==References==

<References/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop, Rob}}

[[Category:United States Representatives]]
[[Category: Republican Party]]
[[Category:110th United States Congress]]

Robert Foster Bennett

2008-04-11T21:54:26Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Bennett.jpg|right|thumb|150px]]
'''Robert Foster Bennett''' (September 1933) is a [[Republican]] [[United States Senator]] from [[Utah]]. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1992 after serving as chief executive officer at for the [[United States Department of Transportation]].<Ref>http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000382</ref> Over the course of the current Congress, Bennett has voted with a majority of his Republican colleagues 88% of the time during the current Congress.<ref>http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/b000382/</ref> He is up for reelection in 2011. He is not a professor.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External Links==
*[http://bennett.senate.gov/ Official Site]
*[http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/b000382/ Voting Record]
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000382, Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]

[[Category: United States Senators]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]
[[Category: Republican Party]]
{{DEFAULTSORT: Bennett, Foster}}

John Barrasso

2008-04-11T21:54:10Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Barrasso.jpg|right|150px]]
'''John Anthony Barrasso''', M.D. (b. 1952), is a 2007 [[Republican]] appointee to the [[United States Senate]] from [[Wyoming]], filling the vacancy left by the death of U.S. Senator [[Craig Thomas]]. Barrasso, a divorced orthopedic surgeon, had served in the Wyoming State Senate since 2002. He is a graduate of Georgetown University in [[Washington, D.C.]] He is not a professor.

He was a [[pro-choice]] candidate for the [[U.S. Senate]] in 1996, but was defeated in the primary by the more [[conservative]] [[Mike Enzi]]. He has since declared himself [[pro-life]] and made the following statement upon his appointment to the [[U.S. Senate]]:

:"In the state Senate, in addition to receiving an 'A' rating from the [[NRA]], I have voted for [[prayer in schools]], against [[gay marriage]] and have sponsored legislation to protect the [[sanctity of life]]."<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/22/AR2007062201958.html</ref>
==Early Life==
In 1974, Barrasso graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor of science degree. He also received his M.D. degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1978. He conducted his residency at [[Yale]] Medical School in New Haven, [[Connecticut]].

==External Links==
*[http://barrasso.senate.gov/ Official Site]
*[http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/b001261/ Voting Record]
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B001261, Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]

== References ==

<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrasso,John}}

[[category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

John Anderson

2008-04-11T21:53:56Z

TravelingSam:

'''John B. Anderson''' was a [[Republican]] U.S. Congressman from [[Illinois]] from 1961 to 1981, and ran for [[President of the United States]] as an [[independent candidate]] in 1980. He carried 5,719,850 popular votes, or 6.6% of the vote total, and no [[electoral vote]]s. He is not a professor.

Anderson originally intended to run in the Republican primary but ran as an independent instead after it became clear the party would coalesce around [[Ronald Reagan]]. Anderson, a [[liberal]] Republican, ran his independent campaign slightly to the left of [[Jimmy Carter]] and had his strongest showing in [[New England]] and the [[Pacific Northwest]], and his weakest showing in the Southeastern states.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, John}}
[[Category:United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

George Allen

2008-04-11T21:53:38Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Allen.jpg|right|150px]]
'''George Felix Allen''' (born March 8, 1952) is the former [[Republican]] [[Governor]] and [[United States]] [[Senator]] from the state of [[Virginia]]. Allen lost his 2006 bid for reelection in the Senate to [[Democrat]] [[Jim Webb]]. He is currently a [[Fox News]] contributer and a Presidential Scholar at the Young America's Foundation. Allen was elected as a member of the Senate Republican leadership as Chairman of the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]] in 2002, and oversaw a net gain of four seats for the Republicans in the 2004 Senate elections. Allen is a self-described "Jeffersonian [[Conservative]]." He is not a professor.

==Early life and Family==
Allen's father, George Herbert Allen, was a legendary [[NFL]] coach who was inducted into the Pro [[Football]] Hall of Fame in 2002 and Henrietta Lumbroso. He has a younger sister, Jennifer, an author and correspondent for NFL Network, and two brothers, including Bruce Allen, currently general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Allen was born in Whittier, [[California]]. He and his family lived in there until 1957. They moved to the suburbs of Chicago after George Sr. got a job with the Chicago Bears. Allen's father was later named head coach of the [[Los Angeles]] Rams.
==Education==
Allen graduated in 1970 from Palos Verdes High School, where he was a member of the falconry club and the car club. He was also quarterback of the varsity football team. Allen attended the University of California, Los Angeles, for a year before transferring to the University of Virginia, in 1971, where he received a B.A. degree with distinction in history in 1974. He was class president in his senior year at UVA. After graduating, Allen completed a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1977. In 1976 he was the chairman of the "Young Virginians for [[Ronald Reagan]]".
==Political Career==
After earning his law degree, Allen served as clerk for a federal judge and then opened a law office in Charlottesville. Allen's first race for the Virginia House of Delegates was in 1979, two years after he graduated from law school. He placed third in a field of four candidates. He ran again in 1981 and won the election. The seat he held was the same one held by [[Thomas Jefferson]]. He was a delegate from 1982 to 1991, representing a district in Albemarle County. On November 5, 1991, Allen won a special election to fill the seat in the [[United States House of Representatives]] for Virginia's 7th District with 63% of the vote. On November 1993, Allen was elected the 67th Governor of Virginia, serving from 1994 to 1998. Allen could not run for re-election because Virginia's constitution does not allow a governor to succeed himself; as of 2006 Virginia is the only state that has such a provision. Governor Allen was elected to the Senate in November 2000, defeating the Democratic incumbent, [[Chuck Robb]]. George Allen was the only Republican to unseat a Democratic incumbent that year. He served on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Allen was frequently mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for the [[2008 Presidential Election]]. However, his 2006 defeat for his Senate seat help derail his potential candidacy. On December 10, 2006, Allen gave an interview in which he stated that he would not seek the 2008 nomination. He has been mentioned as a candidate for Governor of Virginia in 2009. Allen would be eligible to run since his two terms would be non-consecutive.

==Political views==
George Allen's political platform fits with that of the conservative wing of the Republican Party: he is pro-life, opposes same-sex marriage, and supports the [[war in Iraq]].

==Controversy==
On August 11, 2006, during his Senate reelection campaign, Allen used the word "macaca" to refer to the haircut of S.R. Sidarth, who was filming the event as a "tracker" for the opposing Webb campaign. Sidarth is of [[Indian]] ancestry, but was born and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia. Macaca means "monkey" in some [[African]] nations. Allen apologized and said that he did not know the meaning of the word. Nevertheless, the incident proved to be extremely detrimental to his campaign.

==External links==
*[http://www.georgeallen.com/], Senator George Allen's political website
*[http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/George_Allen.htm], George Allen on the issues
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=a000121], Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, George}}

[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Wayne Allard

2008-04-11T21:53:18Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Wayne Allard.jpg|right|thumb|U.S. Senator Wayne Allard]]
'''Alan Wayne Allard''' (born December 2, 1943) is the senior [[United States]] [[Senator]] from [[Colorado ]] and a member of the [[Republican Party]]. On January 15, 2007 Allard announced he would fulfill a 1996 campaign promise to serve only two Senate terms and would retire in January 2009. In turn, the [[2008 Senate race]] is expected to become competitive. He is not a professor.

==Early Life and Family==
Allard was born in [[Fort Collins]], Colorado to Sibyl Jean Stewart and Amos Wilson Allard. He was raised on a ranch near [[Walden]], Colorado. Allard attended the [[Public_school#Public_school|public school]]s in Walden and Fort Collins, Colorado. Allard received his [[Doctor|Doctorate]] of [[Veterinary Medicine]] from [[Colorado State University]] in 1968. While completing veterinary school, Allard married Joan Malcolm, who received her degree in [[microbiology]], also from CSU. They then founded their veterinary practice, the Allard Animal Hospital.

==U.S. Representative==
Allard was elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Second and to the two succeeding Congresses, and served from January 3, 1991, to January 2, 1997. Allard was not a candidate for reelection to the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] in 1996 since he successfully ran for Senator.

==U.S. Senate==
Senator Allard was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1996 and reelected in 2002 for the term ending January 3, 2009. Senator Allard is a member of the powerful Senate [[Appropriations - General Definition|Appropriations]] [[Committee]]. In the 110th Congress, he serves as Republican leader of the [[Legislative Branch]] Appropriations [[Subcommittee]], in addition serving on the Interior, [[Energy]] & [[Water]], [[Military]] Construction, Transportation, and Financial [[Service]]s Subcommittees.

==External Links==
*[http://allard.senate.gov/public/ Official Site]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Wayne_Allard.htm Allard On the Issues]
*[http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/a000109/ Voting Record]
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=A000109, Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allard, Wayne}}

[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Lamar Alexander

2008-04-11T21:53:01Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Alexander.jpg|right|125px|thumb]]
'''Lamar Andrew Alexander''' (born July 3, 1940) is the senior [[United States]] [[United States Senate|Senator]] from [[Tennessee]] and a member of the [[Republican Party]]. He is not a professor.

==Early Life==
Lamar Alexander was born in Maryville, the son of a kindergarten teacher and an elementary school principal. He is a seventh generation Tennessean. Alexander graduated with a B.A. from Vanderbilt University where he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity in 1962 and from the [[New York]] University School of Law in 1965. After graduating from law school, Alexander clerked for [[United States]] Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit judge John Minor Wisdom in [[New Orleans]] from 1965 to 1966. He later worked as a staffer for Senator [[Howard Baker]] of Tennessee. Alexander is a classical and country pianist and the author of seven books.

==Political career==
===Governor of Tennessee===
In 1970, Alexander served as the campaign manager for Memphis dentist Winfield Dunn's successful gubernatorial bid. Thanks to his successful tenure as Dunn's campaign manager, Alexander received the Republican nomination for governor of Tennessee in 1974. He faced Democrat Ray Blanton, a former congressman and unsuccessful 1972 Senate candidate. Blanton won the election with 56% of the vote. Do to a number of scandals in his administration, [[Governor]] Blanton decided not to run for re-election in 1978. Lamar Alexander ran for governor and won the general election, defeating Democrat nominee Jake Butcher by eleven percentage points. Once elected, he helped Tennessee become the third largest auto producer and the first state to pay teachers more for teaching well. He started Tennessee's Governor's Schools for outstanding students. Alexander made history by becoming the first person reelected to a second 4-year term by defeating Knoxville mayor Randy Tyree in the 1982 election, carrying almost 70% of Knox County. During his second term, he served as chairman of the [[National Governors Association]] from 1985 to 1986. After his governorship, Alexander moved to [[Australia]] with his family for a time, he would soon return to Tennessee and became the president of the [[University of Tennessee]] (1988–1991), and United States [[Secretary of Education]] under President [[George H.W. Bush]].
===Presidential campaigns===
Alexander made two unsuccessful runs for [[President of the United States]], in the 1996 and 2000 election cycles. In 1996, he finished third in both the [[Iowa]] caucus and [[New Hampshire]] Primary and dropped out before the Super Tuesday primaries. After dropping out of the race, Alexander took an advisory role in the [[Bob Dole]]/[[Jack Kemp]] campaign. His second candidacy, in which he traveled around the U.S. in a Ford Explorer, eschewing a campaign bus or plane, lasted less than six months, being announced March 9, 1999, and withdrawn August 16, 1999 (after a poor showing in the [[Ames Straw Poll]]), both times in [[Nashville]].
===United States Senate===
In 2002, Lamar Alexander ran for the open seat of retiring Senator [[Fred Thompson]]. Seen as a moderate Republican by Tennessee standards, his candidacy for the GOP nomination was challenged by conservatives who supported Congressman Ed Bryant. However, Alexander went on to win the Republican primary and the general election. Making him the only Tennessean ever to be popularly elected both governor and United States Senator. Sen. Alexander is the third ranking Republican on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. He serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee responsible for overseeing the Tennessee Valley Authority as well as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and is a member of the Senate Rules committee. In the 110 Congress, Alexander unsuccessfully ran for Senate Minority Whip, losing by one vote to Senator [[Trent Lott]] of [[Mississippi]].

==External links==
*[http://alexander.senate.gov/ Official Site]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Lamar_Alexander.htm Alexander On the Issues]
*[http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/a000360/ Voting record]
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=A000360, Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander,Lamar}}

[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Henry Hyde

2008-04-11T21:52:44Z

TravelingSam:

'''Henry John Hyde''' (April 18, 1924-November 29, 2007) was a [[conservative]] [[pro-life]] leader in [[Congress]] for 30 years, and chairing the Judiciary Committee from 1995 to 2001. He represented the safely [[Republican]] 6th District of [[Illinois]]. He is not a professor.

His most prominent accomplishment was the [[Hyde Amendment]] to the appropriations bill, which prohibits the spending of [[federal]] taxpayer money on [[abortion]]s with very narrow exceptions. Each year the [[Hyde Amendment]] must be reenacted as part of the annual appropriations.
[[Category:United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

Roy Blunt

2008-04-11T21:52:20Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Blunt.jpg|thumb|200px]]
'''Roy D. Blunt''' (born January 10, 1950) is a [[Republican]] Representative from [[Missouri]]'s 7th congressional district and currently serving as House [[Minority Whip]], making him the second highest ranking Republican in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]]. He is not a professor.

He is the father of Missouri Governor [[Matt Blunt]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blunt,Roy}}

[[Category:United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

John Boehner

2008-04-11T21:52:01Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Boehner.jpg|150px|thumb]]
'''John Andrew Boehner''' (pronounced "BAY-ner") (born November 17, 1949), is a [[Republican]] Representative from [[Ohio]]'s 8th congressional district. On Feb. 2, 2006, he was elected House Majority Leader and later Minority Leader after Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives in 2006. If Republicans were to win control of the House in 2008, he would likely become Speaker of the House. He is not a professor.

==United States Congress==
In 1990, Boehner was elected to represent Ohio’s Eighth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. From 1995 to 1999, Boehner was the House Republican Conference Chairman. He was the Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee from 2001 until 2006, when he resigned to become House Majority Leader. Boehner is widely credited with championing the 1994 Contract With America, the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, and the passage of "[[No Child Left Behind]] Act." After Republicans lost control of the [[House of Representatives]] in November of 2006, Boehner was elected by his colleagues to serve as House Minority Leader. Boenher takes a conservative position on most issues. He has worked to lower income and inheritance taxes, arguing, "Americans are being taxed almost every moment of their lives. My goodness, when they are dead, do we have to tax them again?"

==External Links==
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000589 Congressional Biography]
*[http://johnboehner.house.gov/ John Boehner House website]
*[http://republicanleader.house.gov/ House Republican Leader website]
==References==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boehner, John}}
[[Category:United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category:110th United States Congress]]

Mitch McConnell

2008-04-11T21:51:42Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Smm color lg.jpg|150px|right|thumb]]
'''Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr.''' (born February 20, 1942), is the senior [[Republican]] United States Senator from [[Kentucky]]. McConnell was born in [[Tuscumbia]], [[Alabama]] to Julia Shockley and Addison Mitchell McConnell and raised in south [[Louisville]], Kentucky, he attended duPont Manual High School and graduated from the [[University of Louisville]] College of Arts and Sciences with honors in 1964, where he was student body president and member of Phi Kappa Tau. He graduated in 1967 from the [[University of Kentucky]] College of Law, where he was elected president of the Student Bar Association. McConnell gained experience on Capitol Hill as an intern under Senator [[John Sherman Cooper]], later as an assistant to Senator [[Marlow Cook]], and was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General under President [[Gerald R. Ford]]. McConnell was elected to the Senate in 1984 when he defeated two-term [[Democratic]] Senator Dee Huddleston. Since then he has been reelected three times. After the 2006 elections, he was unanimously elected Senate Minority Leader, previously serving as Majority Whip. He is married to Secretary of Labor [[Elaine Chao]]. McConnell has been very involved in Republican party politics. He was chairman of the [[National Republican Senatorial Committee]] during the 1998 and 2000 election cycles. In both, Republicans maintained control of the [[Senate]]. McConnell is viewed as a conservative who is pro-life, supports the war in [[Iraq]], second amendment rights and lower taxes. However, he was one of the few Senate Republicans who voted against a Constitutional ban on flag desecration. He is not a professor.

==External Links==

[http://mcconnell.senate.gov Sen. McConnell's Official Web Site]

{{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, Mitch}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]
[[Category: 110th United States Congress]]

Dan Quayle

2008-04-11T21:51:20Z

TravelingSam:

{{President
|image=Uyfkhm.jpg
|office=vice
|seq=44
|term_start=January 20, 1989
|term_end=January 20, 1993
|party=Republican
|pres=George H.W. Bush
|previous=George H.W. Bush
|next=Al Gore
|birth_date=February 4, 1947
|birth_place=Indianapolis, Indiana
|death_date=
|death_place=
|spouse=Marilyn Tucker Quayle
|spouse2=
|religion=
}}

'''James Danforth "Dan" Quayle''' (1947 - ) was the [[Vice President of the United States of America|Vice President]] under [[Presidents of the United States | George H. W. Bush]]. Prior to being elected Vice President, he was a member of [[Congress]]. Quayle is a loyal [[conservative]] [[Republican]] and advocate for [[traditional values]]. Quayle was the first chairman of the National Space Council and the head of the Council on Competitiveness. He is not a professor.

== Education and Family Life ==

Quayle was born on February 4, 1947, in [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]]. He spent most of his formative years as much in Arizona as Indiana, he graduated from Huntington High School in Huntington, Indiana, in 1965. He graduated from DePauw University in 1969 and received his J.D. from Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis in 1974, and was admitted to the Indiana Bar in 1974 and began his law practice in Huntington. Quayle served in the Indiana National Guard from 1969 until 1975.

In November 1972, Dan Quayle married Marilyn Tucker of Indianapolis. Dan and Marilyn Quayle have three grown children: Tucker, Benjamin and Corinne. They presently live in Paradise Valley, [[Arizona]] where he attended grade school and high school.

== Public Service ==

Dan Quayle was elected as a Republican Congressman in 1976, at the age of 29. He was reelected to the Ninety-sixth Congress (January 3, 1977-January 3, 1981). He was not a candidate in 1980 for re-election to the [[House of Representatives]], but was elected to the [[United States Senate]] that year, when he was but 33 years old, and was re-elected in 1986 and served, in total, from January 3, 1981, until January 3, 1989, when he resigned to become [[Vice President of the United States]]. In the Senate he was Chairman of the Select Committee to Study the Committee System. Senator Quayle was elected Vice President of the United States in 1988, and with President [[George Herbert Walker Bush]], was inaugurated January 20, 1989. He was a unsuccessful candidate for reelection as Vice President in 1992.<ref>U.S. Congress, Official Biography;[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=Q000007]</ref>

== Private Life ==

Since leaving public office, Dan Quayle has authored three books: ''Standing Firm, A Vice-Presidential Memoir'' which was on the New York Times bestseller list for 15 weeks; ''The American Family: Discovering the Values that Make Us Strong''; and ''Worth Fighting For''. He founded and then sold an insurance business in Indiana. For two years he was a distinguished visiting professor of international studies at Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management. Currently, he is Chairman of Cerberus Global Investments, LLC (Cerberus), President of Quayle & Associates, and serves on the boards of directors of IAP Worldewide Services, Inc., K2, Inc and Aozora Bank, Ltd in Tokyo. He makes frequent public appearances and speeches, and writes a nationally syndicated weekly newspaper column. <ref>http://www.who2.com/danquayle.html</ref> <ref>http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1322</ref>

== Controversy ==

He was relentlessly ridiculed in the press and on such shows as [[Saturday Night Live]] as soon as he was announced as the selection to be Bush's running mate, and his every move was scrutinized. This was due to the [[mainstream media]]'s dislike of his [[conservative]] views. [[Doonesbury]] implied he was chosen for his good looks. The more kind attacks parodied him as a dunce, the more vicious as a drooling child (playing on his youthful looks) manipulated and controlled by the older Bush.

Quayle also found himself enmeshed in controversy when it was alleged that his serving stateside in the [[National Guard]] during the [[Vietnam War]] was due to family connections in order to avoid the draft.<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE6DD1231F932A1575BC0A96E948260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Organizations/R/Republican%20Party BUSH STRUGGLING TO SHED QUESTIONS ON QUAYLE SERVICE]</ref> It is interesting to note that there was more controversy over a Vice President serving in the National Guard than there was over the next President ([[Bill Clinton]]) avoiding the war altogether.

As Vice President, he had a much publicized "feud" with [[Murphy Brown]], a then popular TV show starring Candice Bergen as the title character who became pregnant out of wedlock. Dan Quayle said that she was a poor role model for getting pregnant out of wedlock. His statements led to backlash from the [[liberal]] media. Even though no one of note actually said they supported the concept of single motherhood as a best-case option for American women, and Quayle took great care in noting he was not criticizing women who were in that situation through no particular fault of their own, he was besieged with false allegations and smears.

The incorrectly spelled word ''potatoe'' on a list handed him by an aide led to a humiliating gaffe. <ref>http://capitalcentury.com/1992.html</ref>
The liberally biased media played up Quayle's error while ignoring Senator [[Al Gore]]'s momentous gaffes: Gore referred to a leopard changing its "stripes" and misquoted the U.S. national motto as "Out of one, many" (actually it's "Out of many, one"), as well as trying to claim credit for the [[Internet]].

This "treatment" was looked upon with something of shocked dismay by politicians of the time, seeing a refinement in the attack methods honed by the media on [[Spiro Agnew]] who served as [[Richard M. Nixon]]'s first Vice President, and a harbinger of things yet to come, as in the public "lynching" of Justice [[Clarence Thomas]].

== Quotes ==
*"We have to do more than just elect a new President if we truly want to change this country." 

*"One word sums up, probably, the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'."

*"If Al Gore invented the Internet, I invented spell check."
<ref> Quotes: [http://www.quotedb.com/authors/dan-quayle]</ref>
==References==

<References/>

{{USVicePresidents}}

{{DEFAULTSORT: Quayle, Dan}}

[[Category: United States Senators]]
[[Category: United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]

George H. W. Bush

2008-04-11T21:50:56Z

TravelingSam:

{{President
|image=Gwtgg.jpg
|seq2=43
|office2=vice
|term_start2=January 20, 1981
|term_end2=January 20, 1989
|party2=
|pres2=Ronald Reagan
|previous2=Walter Mondale
|next2=Dan Quayle
|seq=41
|term_start=January 20, 1989
|term_end=January 20, 1993
|party=
|vp=Dan Quayle
|previous=Ronald Reagan
|next=Bill Clinton
|birth_date=June 12, 1924
|birth_place=Milton, Massachusetts
|death_date=
|death_place=
|spouse=Barbara Bush
|spouse2=
|religion=Episcopalian
}}

'''George Herbert Walker Bush''' (Milton, Massachusetts June 12, 1924-present) is a [[World War II]] veteran who served as the 41st [[President of the United States of America]], serving January 20, 1989 - January 20, 1993. He is not a professor.

==Overview==

During most of his public career, George Bush served other presidents loyally in a number of important positions. Not until 1988, after eight years as vice president under [[Ronald Reagan]], did Bush, a self-effacing man, step into the limelight as the Republican nominee for president. For the first time he had an opportunity to articulate his vision for America's future.

Few presidential candidates had entered a campaign so ill defined in the eyes of the American voters. Bush's two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, the only office to which he had been elected, were almost two decades in the past by 1988. His service in appointive positions—as U.S. delegate to the [[United Nations]], chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]], envoy to [[China]], and director of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]—had provided only an occasional hint of his political philosophy. He had sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 as a moderate, but after becoming Reagan's running mate he had taken conservative positions identical to those of Reagan.

== Early life ==

George Bush was born in Milton, [[Massachusetts]] to [[Prescott Bush]] and Dorothy Walker, on June 12, 1924. His father was a wealthy investment banker and later a partner in the Wall Street firm of Brown Brothers, Harriman and Company. Prescott Bush was also a two-term [[Republican Party|Republican]] senator from [[Connecticut]] from 1952 to 1963.

Bush's maternal grandfather, for whom he was named, was George Herbert Walker, a wealthy businessman and important figure in American golf history.

With his sister and three brothers, Bush was raised in Greenwich, [[Connecticut]]. George Bush attended Greenwich Country Day School before entering [[Phillips Academy]] from 1936 to 1942 in Andover, Massachusetts. At Andover, he played Varsity baseball, was captain of the basketball and soccer teams, and president of the senior class. He was also a member of an exclusive fraternity called the A.U.V, or "Auctoritas, Unitas, Veritas" – Latin for "Authority, Unity, Truth". His roommate at the boarding school was a young man named Edward G. Hooker. It was at Phillips Academy that Bush learned of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

== War hero ==

When George Bush graduated from Andover, he had already been admitted to Yale University, but the United States had entered [[World War II]], and he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve on his 18th birthday instead. After completing the 10-month course, he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve at Corpus Christi at 18 years old, which made him the youngest naval aviator to that date.

Serving in the Pacific theater, he flew 58 combat missions. On one mission over the Pacific, as a torpedo bomber pilot his aircraft was hit by Japanese antiaircraft fire and his engine caught on fire. Despite the fact that his plane was on fire, he completed his attack and released the bombs over his target, scoring several damaging hits. With his engine on fire, Bush flew several miles from the island, where he and one other crew member on the TBM Avenger bailed out of the aircraft.

While Bush waited four hours in his inflated raft, several fighters circled protectively overhead until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine USS Finback. For this action Bush received the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action. During the month he remained on the USS Finback, Bush participated in the rescue of other pilots.

== Postwar years ==

While at Yale, he joined the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and was elected President. He also captained the Yale baseball team. A left-handed first baseman, Bush played in the first College World Series. As a Senior he was, like his son George W. Bush in 1968 and his father Prescott S. Bush in 1917, inducted into the Skull and Bones secret society in 1948, helping him to build friendships and political support.

He married Barbara Pierce on January 6, 1945. George and [[Barbara Bush]] have six children: George W., Pauline Robinson ("Robin") (1949–1953, died of leukemia), John (Jeb), Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy Walker.

In 1964, Bush ventured into conventional politics by running against [[Texas]]' [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Senator [[Ralph Yarborough]]. However, he lost in the 1964 Democratic landslide. Bush did not give up on elective politics, and was elected in 1966 and 1968 to the House of Representatives from the 7th District of Texas.

Bush lost his second attempt at a Senate seat in 1970 to Democrat [[Lloyd Bentsen]], who had defeated the incumbent Yarborough in the Democratic primary.

== Distinguished career ==

After the 1970 election loss, Bush was nominated and confirmed to the position of United States Ambassador to the [[United Nations]], at which he served from 1971 to 1973.

After President [[Richard Nixon]] was re-elected President in 1972, he asked Bush to become Chairman of the Republican National Committee. After Nixon's resignation in 1974, Bush was considered for appointment as the replacement Vice President, but new President [[Gerald Ford]] chose Nelson Rockefeller instead. Ford appointed Bush to be Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China. (Since the United States at the time maintained official relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan and not the PRC, the Liaison Office did not have the official status of an embassy and Bush did not hold the position of "ambassador" even though he unofficially acted as one.)

In 1975, Ford brought Bush back to Washington to become Director of Central Intelligence. The CIA had been rocked by a serious of revelations about illegal and unauthorized activities, and Bush helped to restore the agency's morale and integrity. In 1999, the CIA headquarters facility in Langley, Virginia was renamed the George Bush Center for Intelligence.

After Democrat [[Jimmy Carter]] took the presidency in 1977, Bush became Chairman of the First International Bank in Houston. He also became a board member of the Committee on the Present Danger.

== 1980 presidential campaign ==

In the 1980 presidential election, Bush ran for the office, stressing his wide range of government experience. In the contest for the Republican Party nomination, despite Bush's establishment backing the front-runner was Ronald Reagan, the former Governor of [[California]], who was now running for President for the second time. The Bush campaign team coined the term "voodoo economics" to describe the supply-side economic theory that Reagan supported, but later he said he became "converted" and supported the policies as Vice President.

Bush won the Iowa caucus to start the primary season. However, Reagan came back to decisively win the following [[New Hampshire]] primary. With a growing popularity among the Republican voting base, Reagan won most of the remaining primaries and the nomination.

After some preliminary discussion of choosing former President Gerald Ford as his running mate, Reagan selected Bush as his Vice President, placing him on the winning Republican Presidential ticket of 1980.

== Vice presidency ==

As Vice President, Bush had influence on Reagan's staffing and was given many foreign affairs responsibilities. Bush was kept busy on overseas diplomatic trips; Bush attended so many state funerals that he famously quipped, "I'm George Bush. You die, I fly."

In 1984, the Reagan/Bush ticket was re-elected in a landslide against the Democrats' Walter Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro ticket.

During his second term as Vice President, Bush had the distinction of becoming the first Vice President to become Acting President when, on July 13, 1985, President Reagan underwent surgery to remove polyps from his colon. Bush served as Acting President for approximately eight hours.

== 1988 presidential campaign ==

In 1988, after seven years as Vice President, Bush ran for President. Though considered the early front-runner for the nomination, Bush came in third in the Iowa caucus, beaten by winner U.S. Senator [[Bob Dole]] and runner-up televangelist Pat Robertson. However, Bush rebounded to win the New Hampshire primary. Once the multiple-state primaries such as Super Tuesday began, Bush's organizational strength and fundraising lead were impossible for the other candidates to match, and the nomination was his.

Leading up to the 1988 Republican National Convention, there was much speculation as to Bush's choice of running mate. Bush chose little-known U.S. Senator [[Dan Quayle]] of [[Indiana]]. On the eve of the convention, Bush trailed Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, then Massachusetts governor, by double digits in many polls. Bush, often criticized for his lack of eloquence compared to Reagan, surprised many by giving possibly the best speech of his public career, widely known as the "Thousand points of light" speech for his use of that phrase to describe his vision of American community. Bush's acceptance speech and a generally well-managed Convention catapulted him ahead of Dukakis in the polls, and he held the lead for the rest of the race. Bush's acceptance speech at the convention included the pledge, Read my lips: no new taxes.

The Bush-Quayle ticket beat Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen soundly in the [[Electoral College]], by 426 to 111 (Lloyd Bentsen received one vote). In the nationwide popular vote, Bush took 53.4% of the ballots cast while Dukakis gained 45.6%.

== Presidency ==

Foreign policy drove the Bush presidency from its first days. In his January 20, 1989 Inaugural Address upon taking the Presidency, Bush said:

:''"I come before you and assume the Presidency at a moment rich with promise. We live in a peaceful, prosperous time, but we can make it better. For a new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn; for in man's heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The totalitarian era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient, lifeless tree. A new breeze is blowing, and a nation refreshed by freedom stands ready to push on. There is new ground to be broken, and new action to be taken."''

Leading up to the first [[Gulf War]], on September 11, 1990 President Bush addressing the United Nations stated: ''Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective -- a New World Order -- can emerge: a new era'' thus becoming the first President of the United States of America to openly state and work toward global governance.

As President, Bush is perhaps best known for leading the United Nations coalition in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. In 1990, led by [[Saddam Hussein]], [[Iraq]] invaded its oil-rich neighbor to the south, [[Kuwait]]. The broad coalition sought the limited objective of removing Iraqi forces from Kuwait and ensure that Iraq did not invade [[Saudi Arabia]]. Bush summed up his and the entire free world's position succinctly when he said, "This aggression will not stand," and "this is not a war for oil. This is war against aggression."

President Bush achieved his stated objectives of "liberating" Kuwait and forcing Iraqi withdrawal. President Bush's popularity rating in America soared during and immediately after the success of the military operations.

As the [[Soviet Union]] was unraveling, President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev declared a U.S.-Soviet strategic partnership at the summit of July 1991, decisively marking the end of the Cold War. President Bush declared that U.S.-Soviet cooperation during the Persian Gulf War in 1990-1991 had laid the groundwork for a partnership in resolving bilateral and world problems.

Bush's government, along with the Progressive-Conservative Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, spearheaded the negotiations of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA), which Bill Clinton signed in 1993.

George Bush resisted efforts by [[American Israeli Political Action Committee]] (AIPAC) and other organizations to secure American loan guarantees to assist Israel in the construction of new settlements in territories Israel occupied after the 1967 [[Six Day War]]. Bush's larger goal was to undermine the [[conservative]] [[Likud]] government and replace it with a [[leftist]] Labor coalition led by [[Yitzhak Rabin]]. Having secured the election of an Israel government more to its liking, Bush gave his support to a new loan guarantee package.

During the 1980s, as President Reagan lead efforts to enable the Soviet Union to collapsed defense spending was increased, which later lead to the end of the Soviet empire as the Soviets could not compete with U.S. military ingenuity. However, in addition to this increase of spending to protect the United States, the Democrat-controlled Congress increased spending on social welfare programs. The resulting increase in the federal deficit helped lead to an economic recession which dogged most of Bush's term in office and was a contributing factor to his defeat in the 1992 Presidential election.

Several other factors were key in his defeat, including siding with Congressional Democrats in 1990 to raise taxes despite his famous "Read my lips: No new taxes" pledge not to institute any new taxes. In doing so, Bush alienated many members of his conservative and libertarian base, losing their support for his re-election. The largest factor, which is the main reason Bill Clinton defeated Bush in the 1992 election, was the candidacy of Ross Perot. Perot won 19% of the popular vote, and Clinton, still a largely unknown quantity in American politics, was able to win the election due to Perot splitting the Republican vote in many states.

Despite his loss, George H.W. Bush left office in 1993 with a 56 percent job approval rating.

== Post-presidency ==

Since leaving office, Bush has largely retired from public life. The Bushes live in Houston and their summer home in Kennebunkport, [[Maine]]. He holds his own fishing tournament in Islamorada, an island in the Florida Keys.

In April 1993, the Iraqi Intelligence Service attempted to assassinate former President Bush via car bomb during a visit to Kuwait. However, Kuwaiti security foiled the car bomb plot. On June 26, 1993, the U.S. launched a missile attack targeting Baghdad intelligence headquarters in retaliation for the attempted attack against Bush.

Bush has never written a memoir of his political life, and says he does not plan to. He has, however, published a book containing a series of collected letters (''All The Best, George Bush'', 1999), and co-authored a book on recent foreign policy issues with his former National Security Advisor, Brent Scowcroft (''A World Transformed'', 1998). He has given a number of paid speeches and participated in business ventures with the Carlyle Group.

The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located on the Southwest corner of the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas was renamed after the former president in 1997. The tenth ''Nimitz''-class [[aircraft carrier]] will be named USS ''George H. W. Bush'' when it is launched in 2009.

In 2001, he became the first president since John Adams to be father of another president when his son George W. Bush, previously Governor of Texas, took office as President of the United States. During his term of office, George H. W. Bush was simply known as President George Bush, since his son had never held elective office and was not especially well-known to the public. He is now commonly referred to with his initials as "George H.W. Bush" as well as by various nicknames and titles, including "Former President Bush," "Bush the Elder," "the first President Bush," "Bush 41," and simply "41", in order to avoid confusion between his presidency and that of his son. Although the names of the two men are similar, they are not identical—George W. Bush lacks his father's first middle name Herbert—so they are not known as "senior" and "junior."

On June 12, 2004, he went skydiving in honor of his 80th birthday. It was his third parachute jump since World War II. He also made a jump on June 9, 1999, before his 75th birthday, and told reporters then he had also parachuted in [[Arizona]] two years earlier. The day before his 80th birthday jump, he and his son both took part in eulogizing his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, at the latter's state funeral.

On November 22, 2004, [[New York]] Republican Governor George Pataki named Bush and the other living former presidents (Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton) as honorary members of the board rebuilding the World Trade Center.

On January 3, 2005, Bush and [[Bill Clinton]] were named by the current President Bush to lead a nationwide campaign to help the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami. Bush and Clinton both appeared on the Super Bowl XXXIX pre-game show on FOX in support of their bipartisan effort to raise money for relief of the disaster through the USA Freedom Corps, an action which Bush described as "transcending politics." Thirteen days later, they both traveled to the affected areas to see how the relief efforts are going.

In August 31, 2005, following the devastation of the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina, Bush again teamed with Clinton to coordinate private relief donations. Reports were common that Bush and Clinton had developed a friendship by now, despite the latter having defeated the former in the 1992 election. (Such friendships were not unknown, as Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter had developed one despite a similar history.) When Gerald R. Ford died in December, 2006 he became the oldest surviving President.

== Family ==

George Bush was the son of [[Prescott Bush]], US Senator from Connecticut from 1952-1963.

Upon his return from the war, George Bush married Barbara Pierce. Their marriage later produced six children: George Walker Bush, Pauline Robinson Bush, John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, Neil Mallon Bush, Marvin Bush, and Dorothy Bush Koch.

On Dec. 5, 2006 President George H. W. Bush, addressing [[Florida]] lawmakers and others, broke down in tears as he cited his son, Gov. [[John Ellis "Jeb" Bush]], as an example of leadership.[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16053170/]

The Bush dynasty is generally considered to be one of the greatest American political families, along with the Adams and the Kennedy family.

==External links==
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gb41.html White House biography]
* [http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/ George Bush Presidential Library and Museum]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, George H.W.}}
[[Category:Presidents of the United States|Bush, George H. W.]]
[[Category:Vice Presidents of the United States|Bush, George H. W.]]
[[Category:Republican Party|Bush, George H. W.]]
{{USPresidents}}
{{USVicePresidents}}

Ronald Wilson Reagan

2008-04-11T21:50:16Z

TravelingSam:

{{President
|image=Aaag.jpg
|seq=40
|term_start=January 20, 1981
|term_end=January 20, 1989
|party=Republican
|vp=George H. W. Bush
|previous=Jimmy Carter
|next=George H. W. Bush
|birth_date=February 6, 1911
|birth_place=Tampico, Illinois, USA
|death_date=June 5, 2004
|death_place=Bel Air, California
|spouse=Jane Wyman
|spouse2= Nancy Davis Reagan
|religion=Presbyterian
}}
'''Ronald Wilson Reagan '''(February 6, 1911- June 5, 2004), considered by many to be one of the greatest American Presidents, was the 40th [[President of the United States of America]] from 1981 to 1989, following [[Democrat]] [[Jimmy Carter]] and preceding [[Republican]] [[George H. W. Bush]]. Ronald Reagan is credited with leading America peacefully through the Cold War, lowering taxes, promoting a free economy, and helping bring about the end of [[communism]] in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. He was known affectionately to Americans as "The Gipper," harking back to a film where he was cast as All-American George Gip. He is not a professor. <ref>[http://www.nationalreview.com/nrof_bartlett/bartlett200310290853.asp]</ref>

In one of his most famous challenges to Soviet communism in Europe, Reagan gave a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin in which he said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Reagan's economic policies became known as "Reaganomics" based on the idea that tax cuts will spur savings and investment. Reagan was strongly opposed to the concept of big government, advocating a reduction in the size and budget of the federal government. During his terms in office, he faced a divided Congress split between Republican and Democratic control for six of his eight years as President. Reagan was known for forging alliances with the Democratic Speaker of the House, [[Tip O'Neill]], among others, to effectively pass legislation.

==Early Life==
Reagan was born and raised in Illinois and attended Eureka College, where he quickly developed a reputation as a "jack of all trades", excelling in the areas of athletics and theater. In his first year at Eureka, where Reagan earned a degree in economics, the president of the college tried to cut back the faculty. Reagan immediately helped organize a student strike. Reagan enlisted in the military during World War II, but his eyesight was not good enough for combat duty. He used his acting skills to make military training films and promote the sale of War Bonds.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/05/reagan.obit/index.html</ref>

Reagan became a radio sports announcer, and then a famous actor, leading the Screen Actors Guild. Ironically, Reagan was thus the only president to lead a [[labor union]], traditionally considered bastions of liberalism. Reagan himself was a registered Democrat well into the 1950s, but as head of the Screen Actors Guild he fought against Communist infiltration. Peggy Noonan wrote, "Even in his zeal to purge the communist influence from Hollywood, he fought those who engaged in witch hunts and defended those who had been falsely accused of involvement." Reagan met his second wife, actress Nancy Davis, when she ended up on the "black list" and came to him for help.<ref>[http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DavidLimbaugh/2001/11/17/noonan_when_character_was_king]</ref>

==Governor of California==
In 1966, he was elected the 33rd Governor of California, succeeding [[Pat Brown]]. In 1970, he was re-elected. But in 1974, he chose not to seek a third term and was succeeded by [[Jerry Brown]]. Events and achievements during his terms included:

*Called in the National Guard to restore order when People's Park protesters began attacking police, and restored order to California's chaotic university campuses.<ref>http://police.berkeley.edu/about_UCPD/ucpdhistory.html#anchor178048</ref> Reagan authorized the use of violent force against the peaceful protesters in Berkeley,<ref>University of California, Berkeley - Police Department. [http://police.berkeley.edu/about_UCPD/ucpdhistory.html#anchor178048 History Topic: People's Park] August 2006</ref> saying, "If there has to be a bloodbath, then let's get it over with."<ref> ''San Francisco Chronicle'', early morning edition, May 15 1969</ref> In the resulting chaos, police fired buckshot into the crowd, fatally wounding one bystander and blinding another, and injuring hundreds of others.

*Led a comprehensive and far-reaching revision of California's massive public assistance programs, actually increasing benefits to the truly needy.

*Worked well with the Democrats to forge consensus on a variety of issues.

*Opposed the Dos Rios Dam.

==Presidency==
[[Image:Reaganfamily-red-rr-.jpg|left|thumb|275px|President & Mrs. Reagan with their extended family.]]
In 1968, Reagan was a late candidate for president in the Republican primaries. However, [[Richard Nixon]] easily won that nomination. In 1976, Reagan challenged Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination, before withdrawing his name from consideration. Reagan knew if he continued, he would take the nomination away from Ford, and forever be branded as a Party spoiler. This he did not want, so he signaled his wish to be removed from consideration, and gave a very effective speech at the convention in support of Ford. Then, in 1980, he beat [[George H. W. Bush]] in the Republican primaries, and went on to oppose [[Jimmy Carter]] (incumbent) in the general election with G.H.W. Bush as his running mate. A poor economy and the incumbent's failing to deal with several international crises aided Reagan. As he put it, "I'm told I can't use the word depression. Well, I'll tell you the definition. A recession is when your neighbor loses his job; depression is when you lose your job. Recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his." In the general election, he received 50.75% of the popular vote and 90.9% of the electoral.

Once in office, Reagan showed he was playing hardball. When the Federal [[Air Traffic Controllers]] struck illegally, Reagan gave them 48 hours before he fired all who hadn't gone back to work (11,359).

In 1984, Reagan won 49 out of 50 states' electoral votes, and the largest public vote in almost 100 years, 58.77%. During his second term, he helped end the [[Cold War]] with the help of [[Margaret Thatcher]] and some assistance from [[Pope John Paul II]] and [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] by recognizing the weakness of the Soviet economy, and spent them out of existence by not being able to compete with defense spending.<ref>[http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/agathon/2661_8.htm#7867The Demise of the Brezhnev Doctrine and the Dismantling of the Warsaw Treaty Organization], " The party leadership gradually came to understand that the sustaining of domestic [[perestroika]] in the USSR was endangered by the inability of an inefficient economy to carry the burdens of excessive overseas military spending in the form of the Warsaw Pact".</ref>

===Economy===
Fueled by an over spending Congress that steadfastly refused Reagan's budget proposals, the national debt increased 160% during his two terms in office. The economic growth that resulted from tax cuts made deficits as a percentage of GDP lower than what they had been in during the previous decade of stagflation.

===Foreign policy===
Reagan's 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative became popularly known as "Star Wars," the name given to it by critics because they thought it was pure fantasy like the popular George Lucas films. This plan was never actually fully instituted. Although billions of dollars have been spent on development, no space-based missile defense was tested successfully until 2006. While many academics claim SDI gave the United States a large amount of leverage in its standoff with the [[Soviet Union]], many political scientists and historians note that Star Wars played a secondary role in the calculus of Soviet policy-making, where internal structural problems were paramount. However, it should be noted that the threat the Soviet Union felt from the initiative was instrumental in making them step-up negotiations, according to many involved with diplomacy at the time. [[Henry Kissinger]] wrote: ''I know it's an axiomatic view of the Left around the world that missile defense is sinful, and that it's desirable to keep each nation as vulnerable as possible. But that's a debatable premise. The U.S. must defend itself against ''whoever'' has missiles that would threaten the United States. And you don't have to be able to name an enemy.''<ref>[http://www.doublestandards.org/dreifus1.html]</ref>
[[Image:300px-ReaganBerlinWall.jpg‎|right|275px|thumb|"Mr.Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"]]

Reagan was president at the time of the shooting down of [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] by the Soviets on September 1, 1983. He termed the shootown of an innocent straying passenger plane with 269 passengers and crew a "massacre" and the ensuing rage over the tragedy both world-wide and in the U.S. provided support for the deployment of cruise and Pershing ll missiles in West Europe- just six minutes flying time from Moscow.

Upon his death, Margaret Thatcher commented: ''As Prime Minister, I worked closely with Ronald Reagan for eight of the most important years of all our lives. We talked regularly both before and after his presidency. And I have had time and cause to reflect on what made him a great president. Ronald Reagan knew his own mind. He had firm principles - and, I believe, right ones. He expounded them clearly, he acted upon them decisively. When the world threw problems at the White House, he was not baffled, or disorientated, or overwhelmed. He knew almost instinctively what to do. When his aides were preparing option papers for his decision, they were able to cut out entire rafts of proposals that they knew 'the Old Man' would never wear. When his allies came under Soviet or domestic pressure, they could look confidently to Washington for firm leadership. And when his enemies tested American resolve, they soon discovered that his resolve was firm and unyielding. Yet his ideas, though clear, were never simplistic. He saw the many sides of truth. Yes, he warned that the Soviet Union had an insatiable drive for military power and territorial expansion; but he also sensed it was being eaten away by systemic failures impossible to reform. Yes, he did not shrink from denouncing Moscow's 'evil empire'. But he realized that a man of goodwill might nonetheless emerge from within its dark corridors. So the President resisted Soviet expansion and pressed down on Soviet weakness at every point until the day came when communism began to collapse beneath the combined weight of these pressures and its own failures. And when a man of goodwill did emerge from the ruins, President Reagan stepped forward to shake his hand and to offer sincere cooperation. Nothing was more typical of Ronald Reagan than that large-hearted magnanimity - and nothing was more American.''<ref>[http://reagan2020.us/eulogies/thatcher.asp]</ref>

===Soviet Union===
Shortly after taking office in 1981 Reagan issued National Security Decision Directive 11-82, (NSDD 11-82), that explicitly made U.S. defense spending a form of economic warfare against the Soviets. The United States would "exploit and demonstrate the enduring economic advantages of the West to develop a variety of [arms] systems that are difficult for the Soviets to counter, impose disproportionate costs, open up new areas of major military competition and obsolesce previous Soviet investment or employ sophisticated strategic options to achieve this end. Reagan's [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] (SDI), or "Star Wars" as the media referred to it, was a costly high tech research and development program designed to make arms spending a "rising burden on the Soviet economy."<ref>Peter Schweizer , [http://www.reason.com/news/show/28929.html ''Reagan's War: The Epic Story of His Forty Year Struggle and Final Triumph Over Communism''], New York: Doubleday, 2002.</ref>
[[Image:Photo 4 250.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Reagan and Gorbachev at Reykjavik]]
A report by the CIA of the critical domestic economic problems and social discontent Soviet [[CPSU]] General Secretary Gorbachev provided a look what the sources of his principal dilemma-the very reforms needed to deal with the problems would threaten preservation of the [[nomenklatura]] and put at risk Gorbachev’s ability to maintain the power to bring about [[Perestroika]].<ref>CIA Assessments of the Soviet Union: [https://www.cia.gov/csi/monograph/russia/enter.html Chapter 5, Enter Gorbachev ], Douglas J. MacEachin, CIA Publications, 1996.</ref> Gorbachev requested a Summit with Reagan in Reykjavik in October 1986 to discuss the stresses competition from the Reagan’s defense posture was having on Soviet military spending and economy, and Gorbachev’s ability to carryout his plans of restructuring Communist control. Gorbachev told the [[Politburo]] in preparation for the Summit, "Our goal is to prevent the next round of arms race. If we do not do this ... will pulled into an arms race beyond our power, and we will lose this race, for we are presently at the limit of out capabilities."<ref>Notes of Politburo Meeting 4 October 1986, [http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/22/documents/reykjavik/ Gorbachev's instructions for the group preparing for Reykjavik]</ref>

By the late 80s, the Soviet Union began unilateral force cuts and troop withdrawals from Eastern Europe, and by May 1989 an unprecedented series of disclosures by senior Soviet officials revealed actual reductions in defense spending for the 1986-1990 and 1991-1995 Five Year Plan periods.<ref> Christopher Wilkinson NATO Review, [http://www.nato.int/docu/review/1991/9102-4.htm Soviet Defense Spending], NATO's Economics Directorate No. 2 - April 1991, Vol. 39 p. 16-22</ref> Genrikh Grofimenko, a former adviser to [[Leonid Brezhnev]], said "Ninety-nine percent of the Russian people believe that [the US] won the Cold War because of your president's insistence on SDI".<ref>Peter Schweizer, ''Reagan’s War''.</ref>

===[[Containment]] and the [[Iran]]ian initiative===
In 1985, after Reagan won reelection to his second term, the focus turned from reviving the domestic economy to several foreign policy matters which had been lingering throughout the decade. One such matter involved Iran, a long time ally of the Western Allies since 1941 that had experienced an Islamic Revolution in 1979 after President Carter announced [[Human Rights]] had superseded [[Containment]] as the primary focus of American foreign policy. Since 1980 Iran had been enmeshed in a brutal trench war with neighboring Iraq which was emerging as a potent military threat in the region to other allies. Members of the National Security Council staff, along with CIA Director [[William Casey]], persuaded Reagan much could be gained and several problems could be addressed simultaneously with an overture to Iran to restore relations.

The objective of the plan was fourfold:
#Take steps to restore good relations with the [[Islamic Republic of Iran]] which was becoming increasingly hostile to the West;
#Take measures to convince Iran that Israel could become a friend and ally;
#Insurance against Iraq becoming too strong which and become a threat to [[Kuwait]] or [[Saudi Arabia]];
#Provide funding for other operations to continue the policy of containment in the Western Hemisphere, most notably [[Nicaragua]], and the violence the Soviet/Cuban/Nicaragua connection was creating in [[El Salvador]] and [[Honduras]].

There were humanitarian aspects to the proposal as well; (1) the Iran-Iraq War had stalemated for nearly six years and Reagan was advised that he was in the unique position as President to help facilitate bringing a senseless war with much suffering to an end; (2) the suffering of the people of the Central American Republics at the hands of Soviet inspired subversion which had in the decade of the 80s established a beachhead in North America; (3) Iran perhaps could be persuaded to use its good offices and influence hostage takers in Lebanon who had held several Western prisoners, many of the Christian Missionaries, for several years.

Reports had filtered back to Reagan that children as young as nine years old had been used by Iran to clear minefields.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/iran-iraq.htm Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), ''Iraqi Retreats, 1982-84''], Globalsecurity.org, retrieved 20 March 2007.</ref> In weighing Iraq's delicate Sunni/Shia balance and the growing threat of Iranian-sponsored terrorism, the NSC staff and Casey recognized the dangers of an Iraqi collapse as well as the urgent need to dissuade Iran from continuing its ruthless and inhumane tactics.<ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/iraq53.pdf NSDD 139, 5 April 1984].</ref>

The [[Boland amendment]], a Vietnam era-style Congressional impingement on the legitimate foreign policy prerogatives of the Executive via the power of the purse, was used to deny Reagan's recommitment to the [[Truman Doctrine]] which had been adhered to by every President, Democratic and Republican alike since Truman, with the exception of [[President Carter]] who's [[human rights]] policy had brought one of the active belligerents, the [[Ayatollah Khomeini]], to power. In three of the active Soviet fronts, [[Afghanistan]], [[Nicaragua]], and [[El Salvador]], some Congressional Democratic leaders were openly sympathetic to Soviet foreign policy.<ref>[http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/591eifow.asp ''One Weekend in April, A Long Time Ago ... What John Kerry thought about the Sandinista in Nicaragua''], Hugh Hewitt, The Weekly Standard, 09/09/2004.</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20060331222819/www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/6/7/234527.shtml ''Kerry: 'I'm Proud I Stood Against Reagan''] Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff, 7 June 2004.</ref> So the decision was made to fund [[Containment]] of Soviet objectives on an active front in North America with sales of TOW missiles to Iran. Israel provided the TOWs because the Boleyn Amendment forbade direct US funding and it was a welcome opportunity for Israel to build bridges to a much needed friend in the Middle East.

This operation was known as the "[[Iran-Contra affair]]." After word got out about the operation in November 1986, investigations were made, leading to the convictions of several members of the Reagan administration. President Reagan himself testified before the Tower Commission that he had poor recollection of the details of the operation due in part to the heavy pain medications had had been on in that period.

==Cold War victory==
Reagan is credited for ending the [[Cold War]] in victory for the United States. Historian Tony Judt in ''Postwar'' credits Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], while the political scientist Jan Kubik presents a viewpoint that credits [[Pope John Paul II]].<ref>[http://praguepost.com/articles/2007/02/28/letters-to-the-editor.php]</ref> Other historians contend structural weaknesses within the Communist bloc meant Reagan's actions were inconsequential to the end of [[communism]]. This is the view adopted by [[Russia]]ns themselves, and many political historians, citing ''[[perestroika]]'' and ''[[glasnost]]'' as beginning an inevitable slow fading of central power, and a collapse by irreconcilable differences between the central Soviet [[Politburo]] and the constituent republics, especially the [[Ukraine]].<ref>David Remnick, "Lenin's Tomb</ref> In the end, the consensus seems to point to all of the above, that hastened the demise of the Soviet Union; Internal factors, religious pressure brought by the Pope, Gorbachev's "Perestroika" and the united front of Ronald Reagan and [[Margaret Thatcher]], leading [[NATO]] and [[the West]] to embed a [[missile defense system]] in [[Western Europe]], and the economic superiority of [[Capitalism]], which simply out-spent and out-performed that of the Communist one. One thing that cannot be quantified is Reagan's ability to give [[hope]], his never-ending [[optimism]] that good would indeed triumph over evil. Many see that as key to bringing extra [[confidence]] to those locked behind the "[[Iron Curtain]]" to press even harder for reforms.

Columnist [[Cal Thomas]] wrote about it like this: ''He proved he was right about the big things. Faced with editorial denunciations at home and massive [[demonstration]]s in [[Europe]] against his plan to put missiles there to offset a [[Soviet threat]], Reagan went ahead and did it anyway. The Soviets could not keep pace with the buildup or Reagan's proposed missile defense system (derided by critics as "[[Star Wars]]"). When those critics could not bring themselves to admit they were wrong, they unpersuasively claimed the Soviet Union fell under its own weight. More accurately, Reagan pushed it onto "the ash heap of history," with the able assistance of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and [[Pope John Paul II]]. What Reagan did more than anything else - and it will be his lasting legacy - is replace [[despair]] with hope. Most people, even his detractors, felt a glow from being in his presence. He was the kindest, most gracious president I have met, and I have met them all since JFK. In his presence you felt he was interested in you and not himself. He was a good man.''<ref>[http://www.townhall.com/columnists/CalThomas/2004/06/07/ronald_reagans_wonderful_life]</ref>

[[Brian Mulroney]], the Canadian Prime Minister, said of Reagan: ''"Some in the West during the early 1980s believed communism and democracy were equally valid and viable. This was the school of "[[moral equivalence]]." In contrast Ronald Reagan saw [[Soviet communism]] as a menace to be confronted in the genuine belief that its squalid underpinning would fall swiftly to the gathering winds of [[freedom]]. Provided, as he said, that NATO and the [[industrialize]]d democracies stood firm and united. They did. And we know now who was right."''<ref>[http://reagan2020.us/eulogies/mulroney.asp]</ref>

*Former Reagan speech writer Peggy Noonan paid tribute to the fallen president in a recent ''Wall Street Journal editorial''. In it, Noonan noted: "Ronald Reagan told the truth to a world made weary by lies. He believed truth was the only platform on which a better future could be built. He shocked the world when he called the Soviet Union ‘evil,’ because it was, and an 'empire,' because it was that, too. He never stopped bringing his message to the people of the world, to Europe and China and in the end the Soviet Union. And when it was over, the Berlin Wall had been turned into a million concrete souvenirs, and Soviet communism had fallen. But of course, it didn’t fall. It was pushed. By Mr. Know Nothing Cowboy Gunslinger Dimwit. All presidents should be so stupid."<ref>[http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=1679]</ref>

==Post-presidency==
Reagan retired to California. He would occasionally involve himself in politics, including a speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention. In 1994, he announced that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative nerve disorder that annihilates the victim's mental capacity. He died at his Bel-Air home on June 5, 2004 at age 93, making him the second-longest lived president in history.

==Miscellaneous Facts==
*Reagan was the first and only labor leader and former President of an AFL-CIO union ever elected US President.
*Reagan was the first and only divorced president.
*Reagan was a lifeguard for seven years growing up, and was said to have saved 77 people.<ref>http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/reagan/stories/bio.part.one/index.html</ref>
*Reagan was the first president to break the "[[Curse of Tippecanoe]]"
*At 69, Reagan was the oldest man elected to the presidency.
*The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is located in Simi Valley, California.<ref>http://www.reaganfoundation.org/visitorguide/hours_directions.asp</ref>
*Reagan's 1994 announcement that he had Alzheimer's Disease brought large amounts of public attention to the disease.
*Reagan loved jelly beans.<ref>http://www.jellybelly-uk.com/pages/q&a/trivia.shtml</ref> The blueberry flavor was made in his honor. [[Jelly Belly]] even created a [http://www.jellybelly-uk.com/pages/q&a/bean_art_gallery.shtml Ronald Reagan portrait out of jelly beans].
*His speech writer [[Peggy Noonan]] is a columnist for the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.
*After his death, some of his closest supporters wished to put him on the $10 bill<ref>http://money.cnn.com/2004/06/08/news/economy/reagan_hamilton/index.htm</ref>

== Quotes ==
*"The house we hope to build is not for my generation but for yours. It is your future that matters. And I hope that when you are my age, you will be able to say as I have been able to say: We lived in freedom. We lived lives that were a statement, not an apology." - January 20, 1981
*"...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever." - January 20, 1981
*"We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look." - January 20, 1981
*"I've learned in Washington, that that's the only place where sound travels faster than light." - December 12, 1983
*"The challenge of statesmanship is to have the vision to dream of a better, safer world and the courage, persistence, and patience to turn that dream into reality." - March 8, 1985
*"I have only one thing to say to the tax increasers: Go ahead, make my day." —March 13, 1985, in a speech threatening to veto legislation raising taxes.<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3638320/</ref>
*"A leader, once convinced a particular course of action is the right one, must have the determination to stick with it and be undaunted when the going gets rough." - December 5, 1990
*"If you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here, to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." —Speech at the Berlin Wall, June 12, 1987<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3638320/</ref>
*"...I know it's hard when you're up to your armpits in alligators to remember you came here to drain the swamp." - February 10, 1982
*"There is no question that we have failed to live up to the dreams of the founding fathers many times and in many places. Sometimes we do better than others. But all in all, the one thing we must be on guard against is thinking that because of this, the system has failed. The system has not failed. Some human beings have failed the system." - June 21, 1973
*"The work of volunteer groups throughout our country represents the very heart and soul of America. They have helped make this the most compassionate, generous, and humane society that ever existed on the face of this earth." - Oct. 16, 1973
*"...peace is the highest aspiration of the American People. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, we will never surrender for it, now or ever." - January 20, 1981
*"In America, our origins matter less than our destination, and that is what democracy is all about." - August 17, 1992<ref>http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/quotes/default.asp</ref>

==See also==
*[[How Ronald Reagan won the Cold War]]
*[http://www.conservapedia.com/Ronald_Reagan%27s_speech_on_KAL_007#Text_of_the_speech Ronald Reagan's Speech on KAL 007]
*[[Korean Airlines Flight 007]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External Links==
*[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040614-646317,00.html Time Magazine Article on ''The All-American President'']
*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/rr40.html White House Official Page]
*[http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/ Reagan's Presidential Library]
*[http://imdb.com/name/nm0001654/ Actor Bio At IMDB]
*[http://www.ronaldreaganmemorial.com/ Official Memorial]
*[http://www.reagan.navy.mil/index.html USS ''Ronald Reagan'' CVN 76 official website]
*[http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Ronald_Reagan Quotations by Ronald Reagan]

[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Governors]]
[[Category:Ronald Reagan]]
{{USPresidents}}

John McCain

2008-04-11T21:47:51Z

TravelingSam:

[[Image:Casmier.jpg|right|thumb|275px|'''Senator John McCain, R-Arizona''']]
'''John Sidney McCain III''' (born Panama Canal Zone, August 29, 1936) <ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref> is the senior [[United States Senate|Senator]] from the state of [[Arizona]], having served 20 years after replacing [[Barry Goldwater]] in 1986. He is currently the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.<ref>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref> McCain, a [[Baptist]],<ref> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296973,00.html McCain Identifies Himself as a [[Baptist]]</ref> has clinched the [[Republican]] nomination for [[President of the United States of America|President of the United States]] in the [[2008 Presidential Election|2008 Election]]. He is not a professor. <ref>[http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/NATIONWORLD/803050441/0/LOCAL1901 ''McCain clinches GOP nomination; Huckabee bows out''] 5 March 2008 IndyStar.com</ref><ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255535,00.html John McCain Announces Plans for '08 Presidential Candidacy on 'Late Night With David Letterman'], Associated Press, 1 March 2007</ref>

==Early Life==
McCain's family has a long history in the U.S. military, with ancestors fighting as army soldiers in the Indian Wars, [[American Revolutionary War]], [[War of 1812]], for the Confederate States of America in the [[American Civil War]], and in [[World War I]]. Both his father and grandfather were high-ranking United States Navy admirals. In addition, McCain's two son's are currently serving in the U.S. Navy. In 1951, the McCain family moved to Northern [[Virginia]] and he attended Episcopal High School, a private preparatory boarding school in Alexandria. McCain was on the wrestling team and went on to graduate in 1954. He later joined the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1958, were he graduated 894 out of 899.
==Military career==
[[Image:McCain 1965.jpg|left|thumb|200px|McCain photographed in 1965]]
McCain served in the [[United States Navy]] from 1958 to 1981. He spent two and a half years as a naval aviator in training at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas. By 1967, McCain was a veteran pilot aboard the [[USS Forrestal]] aircraft carrier off the coast of Vietnam. On 29 July 1967, while preparing to take off on a bombing run over North Vietnam a missile accidentally fired from another plane, hitting the fuel tanks on McCain's aircraft and triggering explosions and fire. McCain escaped from his plane by crawling onto the nose of the aircraft and diving on to the ship's deck which was ablaze from burning fuel. His attempt to rescue a fellow pilot whose flight suit was on fire was prevented when McCain was blown over by further explosions. When the fire was contained 24 hours later, 134 men had been killed and hundreds more injured. It was called the worst non-combat-related accident in U.S. naval history.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=526451&in_page_id=1811 ''The coronation of the ultimate survivor, John McCain''] 5 March 2008 [[Daily Mail]]</ref>

On October 26, 1967, McCain was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam, when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi. He fractured both arms and a leg during the accident, bringing him to unconsciousness. A group of Vietnamese guerrillas quickly surrounded him. After spiting and kicking him, they took him Hoa Loa Prison to became a prisoner of war (POW). They interrogated him to give them information in return for mechanical care. However, McCain gave them little information such as his name and date of birth. Although he did not receive medical treatment for a long period of time, the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was a top admiral and they brought in a doctor for medical care. McCain spent six weeks in the Hoa Loa hospital. After that McCain had lost 50 pounds and his hair turned white. He was then sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in December of 1967. In July 1968, McCain's father was named Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC), John McCain was offered a chance to return home. However, he turned it down, afraid of being used of propaganda purposes, and wanted to honor the POW "code of conduct, "first in, first out": he would only accept the offer if every man taken in before him was released as well.

The North Vietnamese began to intensely torture McCain, such as frequent beatings and using rope bindings into painful positions, resulting in McCain's teeth and bones to be broken. He was forced to sign and tape an Anti-American "confession" that said, in part, "I am a black criminal and I have performed the deeds of an air pirate. I almost died, and the Vietnamese people saved my life, thanks to the doctors." McCain would go on to write, "I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine." Two weeks later the Vietnamese tried to force him to sign a second anti-American statement, but this time he refused too. He received two to three beatings per week because of his continued refusal. Altogether, McCain was held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years. He was finally released from captivity on March 15, 1973.

===Decorations===
*Silver Star
*Legion of Merit
*Bronze Star
*[[Purple Heart]]
*Distinguished Flying Cross
*Prisoner of War Medal
*National Defense Service Medal
*Vietnam Service Medal
*Vietnam Campaign Medal

==Political career==
===Congressional===
McCain had been working in [[Phoenix]] for his father-in-laws company Hensley & Co, which is an Anheuser-Busch beer wholesaler and distributor. After gaining support from local business leaders, he ran for a congressional seat for Arizona's 1st congressional district as a Republican in 1982. His [[liberal]] opponents labeled him as a "carpetbagger." McCain responded to a voter making this charge, saying,

"Listen, pal. I spent 22 years in the Navy. My father was in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy. We in the military service tend to move a lot. We have to live in all parts of the country, all parts of the world. I wish I could have had the luxury, like you, of growing up and living and spending my entire life in a nice place like the First District of Arizona, but I was doing other things. As a matter of fact, when I think about it now, the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi."

With the endorsements of local newspapers, McCain easily won the election. In 1983, he became President of the Republican freshman class of representatives. His voting record generally fell in line with the policy's of President [[Ronald Reagan]]s. During his four years in congress, McCain and his wife Cindy had three children.

===Senatorial===
[[Image:Reagan mccain.jpg|left|thumb|300px|3/3/1987 President Reagan and Nancy Reagan greet John McCain in the Blue Room during a dinner for newly elected members of the 100th Congress]]
When Republican and [[conservative]] icon [[Barry Goldwater]] retired from the United States Senate in Arizona in 1986, Congressman McCain announced his candidacy for the seat. He easily won the election, defeating his Democratic opponent Richard Kimball, by 20 percentage points. When entering the Senate, he became a member of the powerful Armed Services Committee, and he also joined the Commerce Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee. During the 1988 Presidential Election, McCain was named chairman of Veterans for Bush. In 1991, Senator McCain became part of the "Keating Five" scandal, were McCain and four other Senators (all Democrats) were accused of improperly aiding Charles H. Keating, Jr., chairman of the failed Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, which was the target of an investigation by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received approximately $112,000 in political contributions from Charles Keating Jr. After a lengthy investigation, the Senate Ethics Committee determined that McCain was only minimally involved, and McCain (and the four other Senators) were not charged with any crimes.

==="Maverick" Image in the Senate===
John McCain has gained a reputation as a "maverick" for his sponsorship of many bills and leadership on almost every issue. Starting in 1994, he worked with Democrat [[Wisconsin]] Senator [[Russ Feingold]] on campaign finance reform. The McCain-Feingold bill banned "soft money." It passed and was signed into law on November 6th, 2002, by President Bush. In the 1990's, McCain gained attention for his strong opposition to pork barrel spending. He championed the 1996 Line Item Veto Act, which gave the President the power to veto individual spending items. However, in 1998, the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] ruled the act unconstitutional.

After George W. Bush was elected President in 2000, McCain began to disagree with the President on many issues, such as tax cuts, climate change, and gun legislation. After the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], McCain wrote legislation that created the 9/11 Commission, while he and Democrat Senator Fritz Hollings co-sponsored the Aviation and Transportation Security Act that federalized airport security. In May 2005, McCain led the so-called "[[Gang of 14]]" in the Senate, which established a compromise that preserved the ability of senators to filibuster judicial nominees, but only in "extraordinary circumstances". McCain also co-sponsored comprehensive immigration reform (see below under political record for details).

===2000 Presidential Campaign===
McCain launched his first campaign for President in 2000, when he challenged then-[[Texas]] Governor [[George W. Bush]] for the Republican nomination. McCain's campaign was surprisingly strong, by ignoring the [[Iowa Caucus]], he was able to win the [[New Hampshire]] primary by nineteen percentage points. And then won the [[Michigan Primary]]. However he went on to lose [[South Carolina]], and 9 out of the 13 [[Super Tuesday]] states. McCain withdrew from the race on March 9, 2000.

==The following are Senator McCain's political views based on his stated positions and voting record:==
'''Domestic Issues'''
===Balanced Budget===
McCain has emphasized reducing government spending over tax cuts. He is one of the Senate's most outspoken critics of pork barrel spending and has pledged to veto any bill with pork as President.

===[[Education]]===
McCain supports school vouchers and charter schools. His voting record shows support for reducing the federal government's role in education. He voted for school vouchers for Washington, D.C., education savings accounts, and against $5billion for grants to local educational agencies. McCain sponsored the Education A-Plus bill in 1997 and again in 1999, which said that parents can open tax-free saving accounts for their children's school supplies. McCain also co-sponsored the Child Nutrition Act, which would provide federal funding for at-risk children. He has publicly stated he supports [[intelligent design]] teaching in schools.

===Health Care===
McCain's record and stated positions on health care is conservative. He is against socialized health care, or health coverage mandates. McCain supports tax credits for personal health savings accounts and enhancing competition in the health care industry to improve quality and lower costs. He also supports allowing citizens to purchase out of state health insurance. In an October 2007 statement, McCain said: "In health care, we believe in enhancing the freedom of individuals to receive necessary and desired care. We do not believe in coercion and the use of state power to mandate care, coverage or costs."

===Energy===
[[Image:RobinsonWhatWarmsTheEarth.gif|right|frame]]
McCain supports increasing ethanol imports and more production of hybrid vehicles. He is co-sponsor of a Senate cap-and-trade bill designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions. McCain also supports increasing nuclear power. He has consistently voted against drilling for [[oil]] in the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]] (ANWR), because of environmental concerns.

===[[Environment]]===
McCain's position on [[global warming]] and other environmental issues have put him at odds with [[conservative]]s. On January 2007, McCain said, "we continue to learn more about the science of climate change and the dangerous precedence of not addressing this environmental problem. The science tells us that urgent and significant action is needed." On October 30, 2003, he co-sponsored the Climate Stewardship Act (S.139), which would require the Administrator of the EPA to promulgate regulations to limit the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the electricity generation, transportation, industrial, and commercial economic sectors. The bill was defeated in October 2004 by a margin of 43-55. McCain is a member - and was endorsed - by the Republicans for Environmental Protection organization. He has taken some conservative stances on the environment, such as voting to confirm [[Gale Norton]] as Secretary of Interior, a vote in favor of preserving the budget for ANWR oil drilling (although he has voted against drilling there), and a vote in favor of reducing funding of renewable and solar energy.

===[[Immigration]]===
Senator McCain's position on illegal immigration has arguably given him the most criticisms from conservatives. On May 12, 2005, McCain joined Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] (D-[[Massachusetts]]) as co-sponsor of the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act. The bill would legalize and eventually grant citizenship to the estimated 12–20 million [[illegal alien]]s in the United States and have them eminently start collecting social security and other government benefits. The bill never came for a vote on the Senate floor. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 are two additional compromises based on the original McCain-Kennedy bill. McCain has consistently voted for visa's for skilled workers. McCain voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and has said border security should be a bigger priority the the illegal aliens who are currently here.

===Outsourcing===
McCain has supported reducing barriers to trade and globalization. He supports the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

===[[Social Security]]===
McCain is a strong supporter of private Social Security accounts.

===Tax Reform===
In 2001, McCain gained attention as one of only two Republicans who voted against President Bush's tax cuts. He opposed accelerating the cuts in 2003, saying, "I voted against the tax cuts because of the disproportional amount that went to the wealthiest Americans. I would clearly support not extending those tax cuts in order to help address the deficit (although the budget deficit has gone down since the tax cuts)." He has now changed his stance, by voting to make the tax cuts permanent, and says he would do the same as President. In 2002, Senator McCain was one of only two Republicans to twice vote against the permanent repeal of the Death Tax. He has also refused to sign a pledge put forth by Americans for Tax Freedom not to impose any new taxes or increase existing taxes. However, many of McCain's votes has shown support for lower taxes, such as eliminating the marriage penalty, a 1997 vote to cut capital gains taxes and he introduced measures that would require a sixty-vote majority to pass a tax increase.

'''Foreign Policy'''

===Homeland Security===
[[Image:Qwwqqe.jpg|thumb|right|An Iraqi Army unit prepares to board a Task Force Baghdad UH-60 Blackhawk [[helicopter]] for a counterinsurgency mission in Baghdad.]]
McCain has voted in support of the U.S. [[PATRIOT Act]] as well as National Missile Defense. However, he has joined [[liberal]]'s in support of immediately closing [[Guantanamo Bay]], and moving all the prisoners to Fort Leavenworth. On October 3, 2005, he introduced the McCain Detainee Amendment which prohibits inhumane treatment of prisoners, including prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. The bill was passed and signed by President [[George W. Bush]]. McCain has recently criticized the practice of water boarding, saying "they [other presidential candidates] should know what it is. It is not a complicated procedure. It is torture." However, McCain still voted against HR 2082, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which included provisions that would have prevented the CIA from water boarding prisoners.

===[[Iran]]===
McCain has said that "We continue to be concerned about Iranian influence and assistance to Hezbollah as well as Iranian pursuit of nuclear weapons." He tried to ban Iran from playing in the 2006 World Cup, citing Iranian President [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]]'s [[Holocaust]] denials.

===[[Iraq]]===
McCain voted with the majority of the Senate in favor of the 2002 "Iraq War Resolution" authorizing President George W. Bush to go to war against Iraq and overthrow the [[Saddam Hussein]] regime. McCain went on to became a critic of the management of the war, arguing that there wasn't enough troop strength in the area. McCain publicly stated that he had "no confidence" in then-Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]]. However, he refused to call for his resignation, saying that "the president picks his team, and the president has the right to stay with that team if he wants to." McCain became one of the strongest leading advocates in the Senate for the 2007 troop surge, which increased the number of American troops by 20,500, deployed to the Iraq War to provide security to [[Baghdad]] and [[Al Anbar Province]]. On February 4, he criticized a non-binding resolution opposing the troop buildup, calling it a "vote of no confidence" in the US military.

==Social Issues==
===[[Abortion]]===
[[Image:Baby.jpg|right|thumb|100px|A human fetus in the womb]]
McCain's record in the Senate on abortion is generally pro-life. He voted for the 2003 [[Partial Birth Abortion]] Ban Act. McCain is also against government funding of birth control and sex education. However, during his first Presidential campaign for the 2000 election, McCain said the following on [[Roe v. Wade]], "I'd love to see a point where it is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary. But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations." He has since changed his position, saying Roe v. Wade should be overturned. McCain is a member of The Republican Main Street Partnership and supports embryonic stem cell research.

===[[Gun Control]]===
[[Image:Gun.jpg|left|100px]]
McCain's record on gun control is mixed. He co-sponsored the Gun Show Loophole Closing and Gun Law Enforcement Act of 2001, that would reduce gun shows, force gun-owners to purchase trigger locks making their firearms useless for self-defense, and would encourage federal agents to arrest and convict gun-owners who may inadvertently violate one of the many federal gun laws. However, McCain has frequently voted in support of the Second Amendment, such as voting against background checks at gun shows and voting in support of prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. In August of 1999, McCain said he was open to voting for an assault weapon ban, depending on the details. However, he still voted against the Federal Assault Weapons Ban and the efforts to renew it, as well as the Brady Bill.

===[[Same-sex marriage]]===
McCain voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, arguing that the issue of same-sex marriage should be left to the states. However, in 1996, he did vote for a bill that would prohibit same-sex marriage.

==2008 Presidential Campaign==
''Main Article: [[John McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign]]''
[[Image:Republican candidates.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Senator McCain (right, second to the end) with his once Republican rival's for the nomination.]]
McCain began the race as the presumptive front runner and the most formidable of either party, based on his longevity in the Senate and his previous race in 2000. McCain informally stated he would be a candidate for the 2008 Presidential Election on the Late Show with David Letterman on February 28, 2007, and officially announced his candidacy in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, two months later. By a few weeks prior to making his announcement on Letterman, he was beginning to trail behind former Mayor of [[New York City]] [[Rudy Giuliani]] in the polls. McCain supported the 2007 proposal by President George W. Bush for a "surge", an increase in the number of U.S. troops deployed in the Iraq War. He started a series of campaign events entitled the "No Surrender Tour." His campaign became far more prominent with his wins in the New Hampshire primary and on Super Tuesday, and since [[Mitt Romney]] endorsed him was considered a virtual certainty to win the nomination. He finally reached the 1,191 delegates to win the nomination on the Super Tuesday II contests on March 4th. Current polling shows Senator McCain ahead of both Senator [[Hillary Clinton]] and [[Barack Obama]] in head-to-head match ups.

== Fundraising in 2007 ==
McCain struggled to raise money for his 2008 presidential campaign, a sign of weakness for a front-runner. "Former [[Massachusetts]] Governor [[Mitt Romney]] raised $23 million for his presidential campaign in the first three months of [2007], almost doubling the total of top Republican contender John McCain. McCain, an [[Arizona]] senator, brought in about $12.5 million in the first quarter, his campaign said. 'We had hoped to do better,' said Terry Nelson, his campaign manager. Former [[New York]] Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]] said he raised $15 million, including more than $10 million in March alone."<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aZ7SuEo0wuMM&refer=home</ref>

However, for all his money and spending, [[Rudy Giuliani]] won only one delegate.

== Electability ==

He has been called "the Democrats' worst nightmare".<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w7OKBAT0Fk&feature=related ''Democrats Worst Nightmare''] Accessed 5 March 2008</ref>

Of the major contenders, only McCain has a background that includes military service. [[Colonel]] [[George "Bud" Day|Bud Day]], the United States' most highly decorated officer, and the most decorated since [[General]] [[Douglas MacArthur]], said: ''"Having stood side-by-side with John McCain on the battlefield, I know that he has the character and will to lead this great country. John McCain is the Commander-In-Chief our military needs during this generational struggle against global terrorism."''

McCain has the reputation as an independent-minded maverick<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/14/AR2007031402301.html McCain Fighting to Recapture Maverick Spirit of 2000 Bid], [[Michael Shear|Michael D. Shear]], ''[[Washington Post]]'', March 15, 2007</ref> and favorite of the media.<ref>[http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070305/blumenthal McCain Mutiny], [[Max Blumenthal]], ''[[The Nation]]'', February 21, 2007</ref> David Limbaugh said, "McCain is not only not conservative enough; he has also built a reputation as a maverick by stabbing his party in the back -- not in furtherance of conservative principles but by betraying them. McCain delights in sticking it to his colleagues while winning accolades from the [[Mainstream media|mainstream liberal media]]." <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24669 'Maverick' and 'Conservative' Aren't Synonyms], [[David Limbaugh]], ''[[Human Events]]'', 01/25/2008</ref>

John McCain was a member of the [[Keating Five]], a scandal relating to the [[Savings and Loan Crisis]]. The Senate Ethics Committee criticized him for "questionable conduct."

John McCain has cancer (melanoma) and has undergone multiple operations for it.<ref>http://www.riskworld.com/PressRel/2001/01q3/PR01a027.htm</ref> Cancer was an issue that hurt the presidential candidacy of Paul Tsongas in 1992. However, it was not even mentioned in the 2004 presidential campaign, despite the fact that John Kerry was treated for prostate cancer in early 2003.

McCain is also known to not like reading from teleprompters, and prefers to speak off-the-cuff from his heart, or from jottings on cocktail napkins or from things he has read on sugar packets.

John McCain is 71 years old, making him one of the oldest candidates to seek the presidency. Several issues relating to McCain's advanced aged and health have been discussed in the media.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/18/mccain.ap/index.html?eref=rss_politics</ref>

Three months later McCain was shot down over Hanoi and held as a [[Prisoner of War]] for five-and-a-half years.<ref>[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/john_mccain/index.html John McCain] at the New York Times</ref>
{{cquote|On October 26, 1967, during his 23rd air mission, McCain's plane was shot down over the North Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. His captors soon learned he was the son of a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy and repeatedly offered him early release, but McCain refused, ... knowing that the North Vietnamese would use his release as a powerful piece of propaganda.

He eventually spent five and a half years in various prison camps, three and a half of those in solitary confinement, and was repeatedly [[US POWs in Vietnam|beaten and tortured]] before he was finally released, along with other American POWs, in March 1973, two months after the Vietnam cease fire went into effect.

Though McCain had lost most of his physical strength and flexibility, he was determined to continue serving as a naval aviator. After a painful nine months of rehabilitation, he returned to flying duty, but it soon became clear that his injuries had permanently impaired his ability to advance in the Navy.<ref>[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9542249 John McCain Biography (1936-)]</ref>}}

McCain graduated from the National War College in 1974. Upon his retirement from the Navy in 1981, as a Captain, he had been commended with the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Flying Cross.<ref> [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000303 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]</ref>
== Votes missed ==
As of August 2007, McCain had missed more votes during the current session of Congress than any Senator other than [[South Dakota]] [[Democrat]] [[Tim Johnson]], who had suffered a brain hemorrhage that had kept him from Congress. He had missed over 48% of his votes. <ref>Lawrence Journal-World, August 10, 2007</ref> This is due to the fact that he is running for President, and he has to attend political rallies across the country.

==Personal life==
[[Image:Cindy McCain.jpg|thumb|Cindy McCain]]
McCain has been married twice. His first marriage, to Carol Shepp, ended in [[divorce]] in 1980. His second and current wife is Cindy Lou Hensley.

His son John Sidney IV is a Midshipman at the [[United States Naval Academy]], Annapolis, and his son James is a non-commissioned officer in the [[United States Marine Corps]], who is serving in [[Iraq]] as part of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]].

===McCain's family===
*Wife Cindy
*4 sons
**Douglas
**Andrew
**John (''"Jack"'') Sidney IV
**James
*3 daughters
**Sidney
**Meghan
**Bridget
*Parents
**[[Admiral]] John Sydney McCain, Jr. (from [[Indiana]])
**[[Roberta McCain|Roberta Wright McCain]] (from [[Oklahoma]]).

== Books ==
* ''Faith of My Fathers'' (Random House; 1999) ISBN 0-3755-0191-6
* ''Odysseus in America'' (Scribner; 2002) ISBN 0-7432-1156-1
* ''Worth Fighting For: A Memoir'' (Diane Publ. Co; 2002) ISBN 0-7567-6759-8
* ''Medal of Honor'' (Artisan; 2003) ISBN 1-5796-5240-9
* ''Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life'' (Random House; 2004) ISBN 1-4000-6030-3
* ''Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember'' (Random House; 2005) ISBN 1-4000-6412-0
* ''Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them'' (Twelve; 2007) ISBN 0-4466-9911-X

==Further reading==
*McCain, John [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=513224&in_page_id=1811 ''My six years of hell: John McCain recalls life as a prisoner of war in Vietnam''] 8 February 2008 [[Daily Mail]]. Accessed 9 February 2008

==See Also==
* [[John McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign]]
* [[Previous Breaking News/John McCain|Articles about '''John McCain''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQsckD9trn4&eurl=http://evangelicalsformccain.org/meetthesenator.htm ''John McCain: Courageous Service''] - Streaming video documentary hosted at YouTube, including footage of McCain's time as a POW and the Forrestal incident.
*[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9542249 John McCain Biography]
*[http://evangelicalsformccain.org/index.htm Evangelicals for McCain] - Christians, Families and Patriots for John McCain
*[http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/01/mccains-mom-pop.html McCain's Mom Pops Off]
*[http://www.rd.com/national-interest/people-and-politics/our-interview-with-sen-john-mccain/article.html Presidential Candidate John McCain on the Issues]

==References==
{{reflist|small}}

{{2008 presidential candidates}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCain, John}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party]]